Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756–1791) and Michael Finnissy (b. 1946) are two names which one might not expect to see in the same sentence. While both are visionaries in their own right, the two musicians could not have more contrasting styles of composition.
Why mention these two names you might wonder? Well Finnissy, Head of Composition here at Southampton University, has recently re-entered the history books by completing Mozart’s unfinished Requiem (K626) in a most contemporary fashion. His completion not only compliments Mozart’s style, but exhibits references from Beethoven to Schubert and Wagner to Schoenberg, with an interesting outlook that this would have been how Mozart would have written it if he had seen the last 200 years of musical development.
The world premiere performance of this exciting take on Mozart’s Requiem will take place on November 20th in St. Michael’s Church, Southampton, performed exclusively by music students in what has been a vibrant departmental activity. Tickets for students in groups are £5 each – a small price to pay for what should be an evening well spent, and something of a change for a student to spend a Sunday evening!
