Mozart's 'Great' C minor Mass may be incomplete, but it is still a wonderful work that really ought to be heard as frequently as the Requiem. When choosing what to perform it with, the SCO on this occasion avoided a second choral work, but chose instead the simple route of other 'Unfinished' masterpieces. Schubert's 8th Symphony certainly comes into that category and is not swamped by the great vocal fireworks that followed.
The young French conductor Raphaël Pichon is yet another recognized baroque specialist making his Scottish debut. The two sopranos are familiar artists who possess the vital quality of having voices that blend when necessary, but also provide the essential contrast indicated by the different vocal style of their arias. The two men are less familiar in the flesh, but their excellent reputations precede them.
If this Mozart seems a rarity, it becomes commonplace by comparison with a work given earlier in the season - the Schumann Requiem. They also did the Bach Christmas Oratorio.
© Copyright Opera Scotland 2024
Site by SiteBuddha