Mozart’s Requiem at Havana Cathedral
As part of an artistic and academic exchange project between the Lyceum Mozartiano of Havana and the Balthasar Neumann Chor & Ensemble of Germany, the famous Requiem by Austrian composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart will be presented in a unique way on April 15th at 8:00 pm in the Cathedral of Havana.
Under the direction of German conductor Thomas Hengelbrock, the program will also include the Symphony for Strings No. 13 and Psalm No. 43 Richte mich, Gott 43 Richte mich, Gott by the German composer Felix Mendelssohn.
This special concert is part of the activities for the Month of European Culture in Cuba and the Sacred Music Nights organized by the Padre Félix Varela Cultural Center, reports the Lyceum Mozartiano de La Habana.
The event is free and will bring together nearly 100 musicians on stage, including performers from the Orchestra of the Lyceum of Havana and the choirs of the University of the Arts, the National Lyric Theater of Cuba and the Schola Cantorum Coralina.
There will also be a special performance by four soloists from the Balthasar Neumann Chor: Katja Stuber (soprano), Anne Bierwirth (alto), Jakob Pilgram (tenor) and Lisandro Abadie (baritone).
As part of the musical assembly process, eleven professors from the Balthasar Neumann Academy will teach classes and workshops in violin, viola, cello, double bass, woodwinds, brass and voice to musicians from the Lyceum and students from the University of the Arts of Cuba.
The Esteban Salas Musical Heritage Office, the San Gerónimo University College in Havana, and the Chair of Sacred Music at the Padre Félix Varela Cultural Center will also contribute to this endeavor.
Thomas Hengelbrock is one of the most versatile and fascinating conductors of his generation. At the helm of the Balthasar Neumann Chor & Ensemble, which he founded 25 years ago, he has won international acclaim for his deep engagement with the musical text and his profound understanding of the meaning and content of the works.
As a guest conductor, he has appeared with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, the Vienna and Munich Philharmonic Orchestras, the Orchestre de Paris, the Orchestre National de France, and the Zurich Tonhalle Orchestra, among others.
His last concert in the Caribbean nation was at the conclusion of the Havana Mozart Festival in November 2019, also at the Havana Cathedral, with a symphonic-choral program combining pieces by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Robert Schumann, and Cuban composer Carlos Fariñas.
Translated by Luis E. Amador Dominguez
