Mozart: Exsultate jubilate & Other Sacred Works for Soprano

Featuring

Robert King
Carolyn Sampson
The King's Consort
The King's Consort Choir
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

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Composer Biography

Mozart's father, Leopold, and Michael Haydn, brother of the more famous Joseph Haydn, were both working at the Salzburg court during Mozart's youth, providing him with excellent models.

Recording & Production

For the duet Sub tuum praesidium, K198, Carolyn Sampson sings both solo soprano lines through a recording technique, making the voices even more matched than Mozart could have hoped.

Composition History

One of Mozart's two settings of Regina coeli (K108 or K127) was composed for Maria Magdalena Lipp, the wife of Michael Haydn, who was a soprano at the Salzburg court.

Compositional Technique

Mozart's Regina coeli, K108, written when he was fifteen, is scored in C major, a key commonly used for grand, celebratory music, and features 'burbling violins' typical of Salzburg sacred music.

Historical Context

Salzburg, where Mozart was born, was an archiepiscopal establishment ruled by archbishops who were also Princes of the Holy Roman Empire.

Composition History

Mozart was proud of his sacred works from his Salzburg years, requesting scores to impress potential employers and perform for Baron von Swieten.

Composition History

Mozart composed Exsultate, jubilate, K165 for the soprano castrato Venanzio Rauzzini, who starred in Mozart's opera Lucio Silla, to showcase Rauzzini's renowned coloratura and vocal range.