A new collaboration between Orpheus Sinfonia and the Scherzo Ensemble invites the audience to be part of Mozart’s memorial service, taking part by singing a hymn and surrounded on all sides by the musical and dramatic action in this immersive production.
Relying on eyewitness accounts from the composer’s family and friends to reconstruct his last year, the dramatised performance, which includes an actor (playing the role of Mozart’s brother in law), dance, movement and professional lighting, includes music from many of Mozart’s most famous works, including the Clarinet Concerto, The Magic Flute, Contradances, La Clemenza di Tito and Masonic Cantata. The event culminates with Mozart’s Requiem, uncompleted on the composers death, it is performed here without later completions, leaving a tantalising ‘what if?’ at the end of the evening.
A Requiem for Mozart takes place at Holy Trinity, Winchester (5 November) and St George’s Hanover Square, London (6 November). Matthew O’Keeffe conducts Scherzo Ensemble and Orpheus Sinfonia. The project is the second such collaboration between Orpheus Sinfonia and Scherzo Ensemble following on from 2024’s production of Haydn’s Creation, which was staged with dance and theatrical lighting.
Orpheus Sinfonia is a London-based chamber orchestra that aims to make world-class music accessible to all, bringing together some of the UK’s most talented emerging and established musicians to give exceptional performances across concert halls, festivals, and bespoke events. Scherzo Ensemble is a professional development platform for emerging artists, primarily classical singers, offering performance and development projects for early-career artists to develop their understanding, experience, and professional networks, including a fully staged production at Longhope Opera.
Further details from the Scherzo Ensemble website and the Orpheus Sinfonia website.
