Archbishop's web site Denver Catholic Register Parishes Catholic Pastoral Center
April 17, 2002
St. Mary's musicians and vocalists to present new version of Mozart's `Requiem'
Father Patrick Dolan to join performers for Colorado premiere at Littleton church April 19
By Alwen Bledsoe
In 1791 a 35-year-old Mozart died, leaving his final piece "Requiem" unfinished and tantalizingly drenched in mystery. That year it was completed by Mozart's student Franz Xaver Süssmayr. His rendition has been performed ever since, but "Requiem" has never shed its aura of mystery.
The ghost of Mozart's intentions for the piece still haunt it and many consider Süssmayr's completion awkward and inaccurate. Recently, several revisions of the piece have attempted to correct Süssmayr's musical blunders. Musicologist and Mozart expert Richard Maunder's rendition of the piece is considered one of the most radical revisions of "Requiem," and it has earned an enthusiastic local following at St. Mary's Church in Littleton. St. Mary's Chancel Choir, Chamber Orchestra and soloists, including Father Patrick Dolan, pastor of St. Rose Lima Parish, will perform the Colorado premiere of the Maunder version of "Requiem" April 19.
The requiem as a musical genre was composed to be performed as a part of the Roman Rite, specifically the funeral Mass (also called a requiem). The music's connection to the Church makes the piece a highly appropriate choice for a Catholic choir and orchestra, said Matthew Loucks, musical director for St. Mary Church.
"Music reaches directly into the soul like nothing else can do," he said. "Pope John Paul II once commented to a group of musical directors, `The work you musical directors do will reach more people than all the priests or catechists in the world.' He's smart. He knows that when you hear a good hymn, it can really reach you, connect you with the community and the sacrifice going on in the Mass."
Along with recognizing the piece's inherent religious merits, Loucks also commends Maunder for what he considers a remarkable musical achievement.
"I absolutely love it," he raved. "I'm very familiar with the piece's old arrangement, and the new one is fresher and more consistent with Mozart's writing style, composition style, and his methods of orchestration," Loucks said. "It's got Mozart all over it."
Maunder's rendition drops both the Sanctus and Benedictus movements, probably composed entirely by Süssmayr, but includes them in the appendix as pieces of historical importance.
"They're not of a quality to be performed with Mozart," Louckes explained. "It's very obvious to me and to many listeners which (movements) were written by Mozart and which are not. There are obvious gaps in musicality and development and style, a huge lack in technique and all those little things that go into composing a huge monumental work like this."
In their quest for intriguing plots, poets, composers and film producers throughout the years have immortalized "Requiem" and popularized lurid — though inaccurate — legends about Mozart's demise. Among the most famous of these legends is the idea that composer Antonio Salieri poisoned Mozart. Yet another, probably equally erroneous, legend holds that Süssmayr had wide access to Mozart's musical sketches and had discussed its completion with the composer.
A "Network Chicago" article quotes Maunder as saying: "It's all rubbish. Mozart couldn't stand the fellow."
According to Maunder, Mozart's widow Constanze asked several other musicians to finish the piece before settling on Süssmayr, who was generally considered a highly inferior musician. Some critics contend that Süssmayr himself started and flamed rumors about his knowledge of the piece to bolster his poor reputation as a musician.
"To believe that this is actually Mozart would be like claiming that prose full of grammatical errors and cuss words is authentic Shakespeare or Jane Austen," Maunder said in the article.
Maunder's rendition is based on directions found in Mozart's letters, some of Mozart's other compositions and Mozart's musical sketches of the piece, Loucks said.
"The result is a drastically different rendition of the piece," he added.
Among the achievements of St. Mary's music program are two CD's, sold out audiences totaling about 9,000 since October 2001, an invitation to tour in Europe in the future, and performances broadcast on radio stations throughout 34 states, Loucks said. Of the 22 choir members, several sing professionally and several semi-professionally. The orchestra consists entirely of professional musicians, Loucks added.
"People have heard (the `Requiem') performed the same way since the late 1700s," he said. "It's neat they can hear it the way Mozart wanted it completed."
Mozart's "Requiem" and "Exaltate Jubilate" and Haydn's Organ Concerto in C Major will be performed April 19 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $10 and $8 for students and seniors. Call 720-283-4735 for tickets or more information.
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