Virtuosos 44. THE GREAT MASS FOR THE WARRIORS OF LIGHT

Artists:

• Anna Shumarina, soprano
• Liliia Nikitchuk, mezzo-soprano
• Maksym Salnikov, tenor
• Volodymyr Shynkarenko, bass
• Lviv National Academic Men’s Choir “Dudaryk”
• “Lviv Virtuosos” Academic Chamber Orchestra
• Volodymyr Syvokhip, conductor

Program:

• Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791). “Great Mass” in C minor, K. 427
  • Kyrie
  • Gloria
  • Laudamus te
  • Gratias
  • Domine Deus
  • Qui tollis
  • Quoniam
  • Jesu Christe
  • Cum sancto spiritu
  • Credo
  • Et incarnates est
  • Sanctus, Osanna
  • Benedictus, Osanna

Long before composing his famous Requiem, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart wrote another significant masterpiece of sacred music, the Great Mass in C minor (K. 427), which he began in 1782. After moving from Salzburg to Vienna in 1781 and marrying Constanze Weber in 1782, Mozart promised to write a mass in gratitude and present it in his hometown.

The influence of Johann Sebastian Bach and Georg Friedrich Handel, with whom Mozart became acquainted through Baron Gottfried van Swieten, is evident in the structure and style of the mass. He combined Baroque traditions with classical elements to create a work with rich choral polyphony and beautiful solo parts. The music Mozart composed for the Great Mass is incredibly dense, like the sound of an entire cathedral, where every note contributes to spiritual uplift. The great contrasts, the virtuoso choir and the sophisticated orchestra create an impression of solemn grandeur.

This concert is not only a tribute to Mozart’s great musical legacy, but also a deep spiritual act of remembrance.