Sing Salieri

Festival Singers & Wainuiomata Choir with orchestra sing Salieri's "Mass in D" and other works by Salieri.

The Festival Singers and the Wainuiomata Choir, along with members of the Wellington Chamber Orchestra would like to offer Wellington concert-goers a chance to enjoy a selection of Salieri's music, both sacred and secular.

When appointed Kapellmeister of the Imperial Court in Vienna in 1788, Salieri wrote his Mass in D, which is lovely, tuneful, appropriately dramatic in places, with imaginative use of varied orchestral and choral textures. This opens the concert and is being performed from an authentic edition with the full orchestral forces, including four trumpets. It seems almost certain that this will be a NZ premiere.

The concert will conclude with another sacred work, rather different in character, the Te Deum composed for the coronation of the new Emperor in 1790 – it is altogether grander, befitting such an occasion.

In between, the orchestra will play two of Salieri's opera overtures; firstly La tempesta di mare ('The storm at sea') which he used for two different operas, and Armida, which is specific to the opera of that title, as it sets up the opening scene with a musically descriptive depiction of events.

David Beattie, the Musical Director of the Wainuiomata Choir will conduct this performance, and says “Antonio Salieri was the boy from the town of Legnago in Northern Italy who came to the Viennese Imperial Court and made himself an outstanding career there, retaining his Chapel appointment until 1824 – the longest tenure in the centuries this position existed. As someone who, a few years ago, discovered his own North Italian ancestry, I feel privileged to present this beautiful, expressive music.”

The Festival Singers' musical director, Rosemary Russell, has prepared them for this concert. They are pleased indeed to live up to the reputation they have, noted by local reviewer Peter Mechen, of “...often present[ing] lesser known music that deserves more frequent hearings.”

So, in the lovely venue of the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart, you can hear some of what people enjoyed before Pushkin wrote his poison.

Event listed by HeatherGarside

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