James Gaffigan conducts the Orchestre national de France and the Choeur de Radio France in the Requiem in D minor, K. 626, composed by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, with the soprano Marita Solberg, the mezzo Karine Deshayes, the tenor Joseph Kaiser and the bass Alexander Vinogradov. Live recording on june 29th 2017, from the Basilica of St Denis (France).

About the Requiem :

Mozart is full of issues when he began to compose the Requiem, in 1791. Afflicted by debts, the viennese maestro is also seriously sick. Moreover, his music don't seduce anymore, and the popularity of his concerts drops.

We can't count the legends about the creation of the Requiem. Among them, a true story : the silent partner of the opus could be Earl von Walsegg, who wants a death mass to celebrate the memory of his wife. He asks Mozart to compose anonymously. The earl wishes pretend to be the composer , a trickery he is accustomed to.

Exhausted, Mozart died on december 5th of 1791, he is 35. If he probably composed the complete two firts parts of the Requiem, the Introïtus and the Kyrie, the other part is recovery by one of his students, FranzXavier Süssmayr, from more or less detailed drafts.

About the performance :

Marita Solberg, soprano
Karine Deshayes, mezzosoprano
Joseph Kaiser, tenor
Alexander Vinogradov, bass
Chœur de Radio France,
Nicolas Fink, choir director
Orchestre National de France,
James Gaffigan, conductor