Classical Music the Performance I Term Paper

It seemed less a powerful expression of creative energy than simply a quality piece of music performed to perfection.

One section I did not particularly care for was Tuba Mirum. This section chronologically follows the powerful Dies Irae section, and does so a little weakly, in my opinion. I enjoyed the tenor solo in this section, but felt that overall it was too restrained, and too anticlimactic coming on the heels of a powerful, energetic section. The finale of Lux Aeterna (and thus the piece) was weak and predictable. Granted, this section was not written by Mozart himself, but a stronger finish, and certainly a more creative one, would have benefited the piece.

There was no encore performance for this work. The requiem was performed in its entirety and I can imagine that to throw in some other work at the end would not have been suitable.

The audience appeared to be a capacity crowd for this concert. The Palau de la Musica Catalana has a capacity of 2146 people and it appears as though there were this many in attendance. The demographic was almost exclusively middle class and white. There were some more elderly citizens in the audience, but no younger people, and no people of color.The audience enjoyed the performance with rapture. They were fixated on the performers, and sat in appreciation and awe. They were silent throughout, but erupted into applause at the performance's finale. There was a lengthy, if polite, standing ovation.

This performance was strong. The power and majesty of the piece was translated wonderfully by the ensemble and choir. The tenor soloist (Mr. Johnson) was particularly solid. The pieces many serene moments were complemented by the opulent surroundings, yet those same surroundings came off as garish next to the more powerful sections. This was an interesting counterpoint for me - a complex and deliberate piece performed in what, for all its intentions towards prettiness, is ultimately a cluttered, indulgent piece of architecture. I didn't find that it fit, but enjoyed the performance and the quality of the piece nonetheless.

Works Cited

Mozart's Requiem Mass in D Minor. 1991. British Broadcasting Corporation, London. Youtube. http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=56FE624085F5FE1B

Palau Musica. 2008. Palau Musica de la Catalana. June 27, 2008. http://www.palaumusica.org/

Lemco, Gary. 2006. Mozart: Requiem Mass in D Minor; Mass in C Minor. Audiophile Audition. June 27, 2008. http://www.audaud.com/article.php?ArticleID=1168.....