American Classical Orchestra - Mozart Requiem & Crawford Elegy

Remember 

In 1791, Mozart began to compose his Requiem in response to an anonymous commission. But he died that year, at the age 35, having completed only the opening Requiem and Kyrie movements. Over the centuries, many composers have written completions of the remaining movements for this work, often considered one of the greatest musical treasures of all time. The ACO will use the esteemed completion by Mozart scholar Robert D. Levin. This performance of Mozart’s Requiem commemorates the lives lost during the pandemic. The soloists are Korean-Chinese soprano Yulan Piao, first prize-winner in the Vienna Summer Music Festival Competition; contralto Heather Petrie, founding member of the acclaimed Etherea Vocal Ensemble; tenor Lawrence Jones, praised by Opera News for his “clean, ringing tenor”; and baritone Joseph Charles Beutel, who originated the role of the British Major in the Pulitzer Prize-winning opera Silent Night by Kevin Puts. The world premiere of Thomas Crawford’s Elegy was written to honor the memory of ACO’s Principal Second Violinist Judson Griffin, who passed away in 2020.  The work is comprised of slowly layered sonorities that morph from major to minor. The texture is complex, even dense at times, except for a central episode that lashes out in anger.

Tickets, priced at $75, $55, and $35 are available at aconyc.org or by calling ACO at 212.362.2727, ext. 4.  Ticket holders will need to comply with the venue’s health and safety requirements, which can be found here.