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Composed in 1791, The Requiem Mass in D minor (K. 626) was Mozart's last composition and is one of his most powerful and recognized works. Over the past two centuries, the circumstances surrounding the creation of Mozart's Requiem have entered popular mythology and have given rise to romantic exaggerations and wild speculation.
In 1984, Saul Zaentz,
Peter Shaffer and Milos Forman collaborated
on Amadeus, the Oscar winning film
based on Alexander Pushkin's play
Mozart and Salieri. Singularly responsible
for reinforcing popular myths surrounding
Mozart's Requiem, the film heavily
relies on music from the Requiem.
The score has since embedded itself
in popular psyche, the original soundtrack
proving one of the most popular recordings
of classical music ever, with music
from the Requiem being used since
in many films - X-Men 2, The Big
Lebowski, Intolerable Cruelty, Elizabeth,
Eyes Wide Shut, Primal Fear, Revolver,
Highlander II: The Quickening amongst
many others.
This new production
was recorded in Prague, the city
of Mozart's greatest commercial success
Don Giovanni. Performed by Mozart
and Baroque music specialists The
Praga Sinfonietta and the Vox Pragae
Choir under the expert direction
of Miriam Nemcova, the sound achieved
is seductive, warm and lush, but
with dark and edgy undertones, perfectly
'in tune' with music, myth, and Mozart
himself. |