For a generation that has taken Mozart very much to its heart, the great final Requiem, left incomplete at the composer's death in 1791, is a fitting tribute to his achievement. Mozart was taken ill suddenly in the middle of November 1791. On 4th December, now confined to his bed, he sang through with his friends part of the Requiem. He died at 1 a.m. the following morning. The standard version of the Requiem was eventually completed by Mozart's pupil Süssmayer.
The work is one of considerable beauty, terror and pathos, all the more so considering the circumstances of its composition and the composer's sudden and early death.
Recommended recording
Recommended recording: Mozart: Requiem, performed by soloists with the Slovak Philharmonic Chorus and Orchestra under Zdenek KoAler.
Naxos 8.550235
