Mozart's Requiem

This was a wonderful concert. The 1st half was a modern piece - Messiaen's L'Ascension. I haven't listened to this piece before. But the HKPO performed this piece with courage. The only thing to say is that the violins didn't seem to be synchronized in terms of their bow movements. It did not look good. Perhaps they didn't have enough time to practice before the concert.

The 2nd half of the programme was set out in a special format. A narrator was there to read letters from Mozart to his father, two poems, two passages from the Bible (Revelation) in between movements (or several movements). Initially I thought that would affect the flow of the music, especially like before the Dies Irae. But the effect of the narrative was surprisingly good. The narrator brought out the scene of the end of the earth quite vividly.

The Requiem was performed incompletely, as it was not sure as to who the composer of Sanctus, Benedictus, Agnus Dei, and Communion was. But the concert ended (without pause) with Mozart's Ave Verum Corpus, which was an excellent choice. The sense of peacefulness was breathtaking.

The conductor, Manfred Honeck, did a very good job in controlling the atmosphere and the choir. I haven't attended such a good concert for quite some time now.