[Boston, MA – March 21, 2019] The Handel and Haydn Society will close the 2018-19 season with a performance of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Requiem. Widely acknowledged as one of the most powerful and moving masterpieces ever composed, the performance will take place on Friday, May 3, 2019 at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, May 5, 2019 at 3 p.m. at Symphony Hall in Boston.
Left unfinished at the time of his death, Requiem was Mozart’s final composition. This revered and powerful composition captures the dramatic intensity of Mozart’s vision of the eternal and the anguish of the anticipation of his own death.
The exquisite choral movements will be performed by the award-winning soprano Joelle Harvey, who will be joined by mezzo-soprano Sandra Piques Eddy, tenor Tom Randle and bass Soloman Howard, along with the Handel and Haydn Orchestra and Chorus. The Handel and Haydn Young Men’s Chorus and Young Women’s Chamber Choir will round out the performance.
Conducted by artistic director Harry Christophers, this performance will also include Mozart’s Masonic Funeral Music, known for its intensity of emotion and clarity of structure. An avowed Freemason, Mozart composed this piece in honor of two deceased brethren and first performed during a Masonic funeral service in 1785. Gregorio Allegri Miserere mei, Deus, which was composed around 1638 and captures the profound sadness, weight and power of the Passion story, and the motet Singet dem Herrn by Johann Sebastian Bach will complete the performance.
“Mozart’s Requiem is a fitting finale to our 204th Season. Harry Christophers has a unique talent to draw out the emotions of this masterpiece,” said Handel and Haydn Society President and CEO David Snead. “His previous work in conducting the Handel and Haydn Orchestra and Chorus in this piece has been lauded by critics and audiences for its engaging interpretation of the composition. We are anticipating a powerful performance that will stay in the minds and souls of our audience until the next season begins.”
Tickets for individual performances may be purchased by calling 617.266.3605, visiting handelandhaydn.org or in person at 9 Harcourt Street in Boston (M-F 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.). Student and group discounts are also available.
Handel and Haydn’s 2018–19 Season Remaining Performances include:
Purcell Dido and Aeneas March 29 + 31 NEC’s Jordan Hall
Mozart Requiem May 3 + 5 Symphony Hall
About the Handel and Haydn Society
The Handel and Haydn Society is internationally acclaimed for its performances of Baroque and Classical music. Based in Boston, H+H’s Orchestra and Chorus delight more than 50,000 listeners each year with a nine concert subscription series at Symphony Hall and other leading venues, in addition to a robust program of intimate events in museums, schools, and community centers. Under the leadership of Artistic Director Harry Christophers, the ensemble embraces historically informed performance, bringing classical music to life with the same immediacy it had the day it was written. Through the Karen S. and George D. Levy Education Program, H+H also provides engaging, accessible, and broadly inclusive music education to thousands of children each year. Founded in Boston in 1815, H+H is among the oldest continuously performing classical music ensembles in the United States, and is unique for its longevity, capacity for reinvention, and distinguished history of premieres. For more information, visit handelandhaydn.org.
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