NZSO To Perform Mozart’s Spectacular Requiem In Wellington And Auckland

The New Zealand Symphony Orchestra joins with the acclaimed Voices New Zealand Chamber Choir and four of the country’s leading singers this month to perform one of Mozart’s greatest works in Wellington and Auckland.

Requiem, written by Mozart shortly before he died aged 35, features soprano Anna Leese, alto Rhonda Browne, tenor Amitai Pati, bass Robert Tucker, a 40-member Voices New Zealand choir and a 91-member NZSO led by Artistic Advisor and Principal Conductor Gemma New, making it one of the biggest NZSO concert events in 2022.

Despite the popularity of Requiem since it premiered in 1793, its creation remains shrouded in mystery. Mozart received an anonymous commission to write a requiem mass while his health was deteriorating. He considered Requiem his swansong for himself as he was sure he was about to die. After his death, composer Joseph Eybler and Mozart’s pupil Franz Süssmayr were tasked with finishing the piece, adding another layer of intrigue to the Requiem story. Today it’s considered one of Mozart’s most engaging and emotionally powerful works.

The NZSO’s Requiem concerts in association with Summerset Retirement Villages also feature two other song-inspired works.

Renowned Aotearoa New Zealand composer John Psathas’ Seikilos was inspired by a fragment of an ancient Greek song which exhorts us to enjoy life while it lasts.

Richard Strauss’ much-loved Death and Transfiguration is a mesmerising and evocative poem about earthly suffering and heavenly bliss.

Tickets to Requiem are available via ticketmaster.co.nz

Requiem

in Association with Summerset Retirement Villages

GEMMA NEW Conductor

ANNA LEESE Soprano

RHONDA BROWNE Alto

AMITAI PATI Tenor

ROBERT TUCKER Bass

VOICES NEW ZEALAND Choir

JOHN PSATHAS Seikilos

STRAUSS Death and Transfiguration

MOZART Requiem

TE WHANGANUI-A-TARA WELLINGTON | Michael Fowler Centre |Friday 18 November| 6.30pm

TĀMAKI MAKAURAU AUCKLAND | Town Hall |Saturday 19 November| 7.30pm

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