Hungarian National Philharmonic Orchestra

We all know that Mozart bequeathed us an unfinished Requiem. He wrote only eight bars of the Lacrimosa movement, he got around to penning a fugue theme to conclude the movement, he sketched out the following two movements of the Offertorium, but nothing from the others. Since the work was commissioned (for a generous fee) anonymously by an aristocrat wishing to remain anonymous, the widow applied for assistance. Several refused the request, leaving it to Franz Xaver Süssmayr, a modestly talented friend of Mozart, to save the day. He ignored the fugue theme because he couldn’t write fugues and this is how the work became famous. Several attempts to make ‘improved’ versions were made in the 20th century, but none enjoyed any popularity. However, the Süssmayr version has gone down in history. Miracle? Perhaps God greatly multiplied the skills of an insignificant musician? No, says music historian Alon Schmuckler, an individual blessed with a great imagination, the explanation is far simpler: Mozart actually did complete the work. His death in December 1791 was feigned in order to escape the embarassing debts. After the mock funeral he moved to Buda where he rented a room from widow Mrs. Tamássy, with many adventures to follow. Naturally, Constanze was in on the scam. It is a lovely story and up to the audience to decide whether to believe in a miracle or the colourful tale. Or perhaps neither, opening the way for a new ending… No such mysteries surround the two works performed in the first half of the concert: the so-called ‘little’ G minor Symphony in G minor and Weber’s Clarinet Concerto No. 2. After all, that would be too much intrigue for a single evening.