Claudio Abbado conducts Mozart’s Requiem at Memorial Concert for Herbert von Karajan

Hardly any other work is surrounded by such a similar sense of mystery as Mozart’s Requiem. Firstly, because of the story of its composition. In the summer of 1791, a strange messenger came to Mozart requesting him to compose a requiem. Some later alleged that this messenger was to blame for Mozart’s early death – a mistake, because as we now know, the Requiem was commissioned by a harmless count whose eccentricities included passing off works by other composers as his own creations.

The mythical status of the Requiem was strengthened by the fact that Mozart died during its composition – we experience him here, as it were, on the threshold of the afterlife. The unusual character of the work may however be critical to its strong appeal. Throughout his life, Mozart had clearly separated his life and composition, his feelings and moods are expressed at best indirectly in his music. However, the Requiem seems to reflect his feelings, his fear of death, unfiltered – here, the revered composer becomes an approachable fellow human being.

Herbert von Karajan gave his later successor in Berlin a lot of valuable advice and also decisively furthered Abbado’s career by inviting him to appear at the Salzburg Festival in 1965. So it was not only a duty for Claudio Abbado to conduct this memorial concert, but also an honour.

Berliner Philharmoniker

Claudio Abbado

Karita Mattila

Sara Mingardo

Michael Schade

Bryn Terfel