Fall 2011 Mozart

 Mozart Requiem & Lauridsen Lux Aeterna

Friday 2 December 2011 at 8.00pm

Saturday 3 December 2011 at 6.00pm

The Requiem was the result of a mysterious secret commission from a stranger, which Mozart received in July 1791. Mozart's health was already failing. He thought that this commission was a bad omen and that he was writing the Requiem for himself. Sadly, he died in December 1791 leaving the work unfinished. His pupil, Sussmayr, completed it using material composed by Mozart.

Morten Lauridsen is one of America's finest and most popular composers.  Lux Aeterna is a 25-minute, five movement non-liturgical work for choir and chamber orchestra based on sacred Latin texts.  It was premiered in Los Angeles in 1997 by the Los Angeles Master Chorale, for whom it was composed.(to learn more) 

L’Ensemble Résonnance

L’Ensemble Résonnance, an instrumental ensemble of varying size, was founded in 2002 by the clarinetist Arnaud Morel. The members of this unique group of musicians garnered from renowned French consorts are motivated by a common musical desire to transmit and to share their talent. For the most part its members perform with l’Ensemble Orchestral de Paris, l’Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, les Concerts Lamoureux and l’Ensemble Mattheus. Since its founding, l’Ensemble Résonnance has performed in Paris (The American Cathedral, The Henry Selmer Hall, the Maison de l’Unesco, Saint Eustache Church ) as well as outside Paris (Angers, Arques, Marseilles, Cosne-sur-Loir) and even in London.

In addition it has participated in festivals ( notably “Musicalement Vôtre”), private fucntions (Musée Cointreau, Crédit Coopératif…) either in association with les Chœurs de Provence, in Mozart’s Requiem , or the Chœur Philharmonique International in Carmina Burana. In addition the ensemble has recorded music for a TV Film “Nous nous sommes tant haïs” for France2 France 3 broadcast in March 2009. Since 2006 support and sponsorship for the Ensemble Résonnance has been provided by Selmer, an international wind instrument manufacturer, SPEDIAM (Société de perception et de distribution des droits des artistes interprètes de la musique) and ARIAM (L’Association régionale d’information et d’actions musicales).

L’Ensemble Résonnance and the Paris Choral Society have worked together regularly since 2007. Their artistic collaboration began with a joint presentation of Beethoven’s Missa Solemnis and has become insoluble with performances of Handel’s Messiah, Mozart’s Coronation Mass and Solemn Vespers, Bach’s Magnificat, Vivaldi’s Gloria, Dvorak’s Stabat Mater and most recently  Mendelssohn's Elijah.