Sing-along
Simon Halsey
Oslo Philharmonic Choir Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

In the summer of 1791, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756–1791) received a commission for a Requiem, or funeral mass, from a mysterious patron. The commissioner was the wealthy Count Franz von Walsegg, but the request was made anonymously—Mozart likely never knew who had ordered the piece.

It remains uncertain how much of the work was left unfinished when Mozart died on December 6, 1791. He is said to have instructed his student Franz Xaver Süssmayr on how to complete it. Mozart’s widow, Constanze, successfully ensured that the commission was fulfilled and that the music became firmly associated with Mozart himself.

The requiem mass was an ancient musical form, but Mozart revitalized it. A masterful opera composer, he skillfully harnessed both its dramatic potential and the orchestral nuances. Mozart’s Requiem was the first of its kind to achieve widespread popularity as an independent concert work.