Fri 4 Dec

W. A. Mozart: Requiem
at the Hour of His Death

12 midnight | St. Stephen’s Cathedral

In the night of 4 to 5 December 1791, Mozart died of ‘feverish chills’ in Vienna. To mark this occasion, the Night Requiem, which ends with a solemn procession and the ringing of the death bell at approximately the minute of the composer's death (5 December 1791, 0:55 a.m.), is an atmospheric highlight in the concert calendar of St. Stephen's Cathedral.

W. A. Mozart's Requiem is one of the finest and most moving works classical music has to offer. The myths surrounding Mozart's last composition contribute to the incredible appeal of this masterpiece. The Requiem conveys the powerful emotions that people experience in the face of death: fear, anger, despair, sadness, hope and consolation.

During his lifetime and after his death, Mozart was connected to the cathedral in many ways: he married Constanze Weber here, had two of his children baptised in the cathedral, and a few months before his death, Mozart applied for the position of assistant Kapellmeister at St. Stephen's. Mozart's name can be found both in the death register and in the cathedral's so-called Bahrleihbuch (death fee book).

The concert will be performed by the Cantemus Choir Regensburg. Together with the musicians of the Vienna Cathedral Orchestra and renowned soloists, the work will be performed at midnight in the atmospheric St. Stephen's Cathedral.