The Orchestra of the 18th Century’s current project with Cappella Amsterdam directed by Daniel Reuss, sees a return to repertoire very close to their heart. Mozart’s Requiem and his Symphony no. 40 in G minor are pivotal, for they are some of the first works performed and recorded by the orchestra in the early 1980s with founder, Frans Brüggen. At a time when ‘mainstream’ orchestras are increasingly working with period performance specialists to create new and historically informed performances, would the Orchestra of the 18th Century be able to “dust off” those hidden passages and find something new to say?
The programme
Mozart’s Symphony no. 40
After a rather boisterous reading of the overture from Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte where heavy accents sometimes interrupted the flow, all seemed much more refined in Mozart’s 40th, performed under the direction of concertmaster, Alexander Janiczek and without a conductor. Bold and distinctive woodwind colours enchanted; all delivered with a huge degree of freedom. Delicate descending violin scales contrasted with moments of light and shade before rustic folk rhythms in the Menuetto produced a festive mood as the music almost danced along. And bravo to the horns for their phrasing in the Trio unperturbed by the odd, strange note from the bassoon. Those temperamental period instruments!
Mozart’s Requiem
The impressive thirty-two strong choir, Cappella Amsterdam with their chief conductor, Daniel Reuss joined the stage for Mozart’s Requiem. A rather casual opening gave little hint of the torment to come. Tightly disciplined and clearly well-rehearsed, we felt the full wroth of God as consonants spat forth in the Dies Irae. Fearsome rolling r’s in the Rex Tremendae, delivered with deliberately dotted rhythms, contrasted with the very melancholic “salva me”. Machine-gun like t’s in “Sabaoth” ensured there was never a question of the choir being overpowered by the orchestra.
Reuss created single sonorities where it was hard to distinguish between orchestral and choral sounds. The finest example saw hugely talented British tenor, Guy Cutting perfectly match the classical trombone’s tone in the Tuba Mirum. It was difficult to distinguish where the trombone ended and the voice took over. Equally impressive were the opening cello and basset horn notes of the Recordare which merged as one. Reuss similarly demanded tight ensemble, not only from the choir and orchestra, but also from the soloists, who seemed most at ease when singing as one.
Ave Verum to close, with the choir now standing in a single line around the edge of the stage, gave a calm and serene conclusion to the proceedings.
Further listening:
Watch a fascinating film from 1984 where we see musicians from all over the world come together in Amsterdam to be part of the Orchestra of the 18th Century. With their founder Frans Brüggen, they rehearsed in a crowded townhouse and a rather neglected church. Pioneers of their time, they forged a path putting the orchestra at the forefront of an emerging period instrument movement.
Watch a short clip of one of my favourite films of all time: Amadeus, charting Mozart’s short life. The soundtrack below, played by the Academy of St Martin in the Fields with Sir Neville Marriner, is a classic
Listen to the Amadeus soundtrack
Read more from Clare
This concert was reviewed in TivoliVredenburg, Utrecht on Wednesday 23rd October, 2024
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