Mozart: Mass in C Minor, K. 427 "Great" (Reconstr. C. Kemme)

Featuring

Howard Arman
Anke Vondung
Christina Landshamer
Steve Davislim
Tobias Berndt
Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin

Chor des Bayerischen Rundfunks
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

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Composition History

Mozart reused the completed movements of the Mass in C minor, Kyrie and Gloria, for his cantata Davide penitente in 1785.

Compositional Technique

The Mass in C minor showcases a wide variety of compositional styles and techniques, including polyphony, homophony, and forms found in opera seria arias.

Composer Biography

Mozart began composing the Mass in C minor about a year after moving to Vienna, having left Salzburg after a dispute with Archbishop Colloredo.

Interpretation

This recording uses a new completion of the Mass in C minor by Clemens Kemme, which consciously refrains from adding missing movements.

Composer's Artistic Vision

The Mass in C minor was heavily influenced by the music of Bach (father and sons) and Handel, which Mozart encountered at Baron Gottfried van Swieten's weekly musical gatherings.

Composition History

Mozart's Mass in C minor is an unfinished work, unlike his more famous Requiem which was completed by his assistant Franz Xaver Süssmayr.

Performer Biography

Howard Arman, the conductor of this recording, is also a respected composer and has been the Artistic Director of the Chor des Bayerischen Rundfunks since 2016.