Mozart: Requiem in D Minor, K. 626 "Missa pro Defunctis" Winchester College Chapel Choir, London Mozart Players & Malcolm Archer

• Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756 - 1791): Requiem in D Minor, K. 626 "Missa pro Defunctis":
• 1 Requiem in D Minor, K. 626 "Missa pro Defunctis": I. Introitus 04:34
• 2 Requiem in D Minor, K. 626 "Missa pro Defunctis": II. Kyrie 02:39
• 3 Requiem in D Minor, K. 626 "Missa pro Defunctis": IIIa. Dies Irae 02:02
• 4 Requiem in D Minor, K. 626 "Missa pro Defunctis": IIIb. Tuba Mirum 03:35
• 5 Requiem in D Minor, K. 626 "Missa pro Defunctis": IIIc. Rex Tremendae 01:58
• 6 Requiem in D Minor, K. 626 "Missa pro Defunctis": IIId. Recordare 05:06
• 7 Requiem in D Minor, K. 626 "Missa pro Defunctis": IIIe. Confutatis 02:22
• 8 Requiem in D Minor, K. 626 "Missa pro Defunctis": IIIf. Lacrymosa 02:59
• 9 Requiem in D Minor, K. 626 "Missa pro Defunctis": IVa. Domine Jesu Christe 03:49
• 10 Requiem in D Minor, K. 626 "Missa pro Defunctis": IVb. Hostias 03:49
• 11 Requiem in D Minor, K. 626 "Missa pro Defunctis": V. Sanctus 01:36
• 12 Requiem in D Minor, K. 626 "Missa pro Defunctis": VI. Benedictus 05:14
• 13 Requiem in D Minor, K. 626 "Missa pro Defunctis": VII. Agnus Dei 03:07
• 14 Requiem in D Minor, K. 626 "Missa pro Defunctis": VIIIa. Lux Aeterna 02:53
• 15 Requiem in D Minor, K. 626 "Missa pro Defunctis": VIIIb. Cum Sanctis 02:54
• Total Runtime 48:37

Info for Mozart: Requiem in D Minor, K. 626 "Missa pro Defunctis"

A cornerstone of choral repertoire, Mozart’s Requiem has been performed and recorded by many leading artists. This performance conducted by Malcolm Archer with Winchester College Chapel Choir, London Mozart Players, and soloists Sarah Fox, Diana Moore, John Mark Ainsley & Ashley Riches delivers a compelling performance: combining the thrilling clarity of Winchester College choir, a star studded line up of soloists and the integrity of the countries longest established orchestra in Süssmayr’s completion of the work.

The story of Mozart’s Requiem is both fascinating and intriguing. In the last months of Mozart’s life, the composer was perhaps as inspirationally active as he had ever been, (two operas recently completed) despite his declining health. Yet the composition of the Requiem was something which weighed heavily on his mind and spirit and haunted him greatly. As he wrote in a letter to his father in 1787:

“as death when we come to consider it closely, is the true goal of our existence, I have formed during the past few years such close relations with this best and truest friend of mankind, that his image is not only no longer terrifying to me, but is indeed very soothing and consoling! And I thank my God for graciously granting me the opportunity of learning that death is the key that unlocks the door to our true happiness. I never lie down at night without reflecting—young as I am—I may not live to see another day.” ...

Sarah Fox, soprano
Diana Moore, alto
John Mark Ainsley, tenor
Ashley Riches, bass
Winchester College Chapel Choir
London Mozart Players
Malcolm Archer, conductor

Sarah Fox
Born in Yorkshire, Sarah Fox is one of the leading English sopranos of her generation. She was educated at Giggleswick School, London University and the Royal College of Music. A former winner of the Kathleen Ferrier Award and the John Christie Award, she is also an Honorary Fellow of Royal Holloway College, London University. She is equally at home in many musical genres including opera, folksong and musical theatre.

Roles at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden have included Micaela Carmen, Asteria Tamerlano, Zerlina Don Giovanni and Woglinde Der Ring des Nibelungen. Other highlights include Asteria in Munich and Barcelona (opposite Domingo); Zerlina at Glyndebourne and in Cincinnati; Woglinde for Salzburg & Aix-en-Provence Festivals; Susanna Le Nozze di Figaro for Glyndebourne & The Royal Danish Opera; Ilia Idomeneo with De Vlaamse Opera; and Mimi La Boheme for Opera North.

Her prestigious concert career has taken her worldwide. Highlights have included engagements in Denver, Minneapolis, New York, San Francisco, Tel Aviv and Tokyo, as well as tours throughout the UK, Europe & Scandinavia. She has worked with many of the world’s leading orchestras including the Academy of Ancient Music, Berlin Philharmonic, City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Concerto Cologne, Colorado Symphony Orchestra, the Halle, Minnesota Orchestra, Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, the Philharmonia, San Francisco Symphony and the Vienna Tonklunster Orchestra with conductors including Elder, Hickox, Maazel, Mackerras, Pappano & Rattle. She has appeared several times at the BBC Proms, the Edinburgh Festival & the Three Choirs Festival and is a regular guest with the Classical Opera Company and at London’s Wigmore Hall. She is also a highly accomplished recitalist with a particular affinity for French Song.

She performs frequently with John Wilson and his Orchestra; she is a regular guest on BBC Radio 2’s “Friday Night is Music Night;” and has performed concerts with Rufus Wainwright throughout Europe. She was a judge on the second series of BBC TV’s “The Choir : Sing While You Work” with Gareth Malone.

Her discography includes Poulenc Songs (with Malcolm Martineau) and The Cole Porter Songbook for Signum Classics; Mahler’s 4th Symphony (Philharmonia/Mackerras and Philharmonia/Maazel) both for Signum; Vaughan Williams’ 3rd Symphony (Halle/Elder) for the Halle label; Vaughan Williams’ Dona Nobis Pacem (Colorado Symphony Orchestra/Litton) and Poulenc Songs (with Graham Johnson) for Hyperion; Leighton’s 2nd Symphony (BBC National Orchestra of Wales/Hickox) for Chandos; “That’s Entertainment” (John Wilson Orchestra) for EMI classics; and “Cole Porter in Hollywood” (John Wilson Orchestra) for Warner Classics.

London Mozart Players
Founded in 1949 by Harry Blech, the London Mozart Players is the UK’s longest established chamber orchestra.

Known for its unmistakable British roots, the orchestra has developed an outstanding reputation for adventurous, ambitious programming. From Baroque through to genre-crossing contemporary music, the London Mozart Players is constantly exploring new venues and audiences through collaborations with artists and personalities from all over the creative scene. The ensemble has enjoyed a long history of association with many of the world’s finest musical personalities including Igor Stravinsky, Sir James Galway, Dame Felicity Lott, Jane Glover, Julian Lloyd Webber, Stephen Hough, Nicola Benedetti, John Suchet and Simon Callow.

Since its inception, the orchestra has championed new works, regularly giving world premiere performances by composers including Sir Peter Maxwell Davies, Tarik O’Regan, Sally Beamish, Cecilia McDowall, Lynne Plowman, Fraser Trainer and Roxanna Panufnik, who was appointed as Associate Composer of the ensemble in 2011. The ensemble has a strong tradition of supporting new music for choirs; in 2014 they joined forces with Portsmouth Grammar School to commission a major new choral work by Jonathan Dove, For an Unknown Soldier, and in the same year performed the world premiere of Toby Young’s Love and Harmony with the London Oriana Choir.

Away from their commitment to live performances across the UK, the London Mozart Players also undertake an international touring schedule which has seen them give performances in the Far East, Austria, the Netherlands, Italy, Germany, France, Belgium and Spain. A long relationship with classical label Chandos has led to a series of over 20 recordings, including works by Mozart, Beethoven, Haydn, Clementi, Salieri and Stamitz. The orchestra featured on Naxos’ release Flowers of the Field alongside the City of London Choir, Roderick Williams and Associate Conductor Hilary Davan Wetton, which reached No.1 in the Classical Album Charts.

The orchestra regularly performs with their Conductor Laureate Howard Shelley, as well as working closely with some of the world’s eminent conductors and soloists, including Tasmin Little, Anthony Marwood, BBC Young Musician 2016 Sheku Kanneh-Mason and cellist Laura van der Heijden, the orchestra’s first Young Artist in Residence.

In 2016, the London Mozart Players relocated their home to St John the Evangelist, Upper Norwood, undertaking a rich programme of initiatives within the local community. Their commitment to reaching new audiences is underlined with their highly-regarded education and community programme LMP Voyager, which sees the ensemble take world-class classical music into schools, colleges, local amateur groups and areas of the community, helping to build excellence and passion for classical music through performance and shared experience.

The London Mozart Players has enjoyed the patronage of HRH The Earl of Wessex since 1988. In the summer of 2014, the orchestra began a new and exciting phase in its history, becoming the first professional orchestra in the UK to be managed both operationally and artistically by the players.

Winchester College Chapel Choir
sings the regular services in Winchester College Chapel. Winchester College was founded by William of Wykeham, Bishop of Winchester, in 1382, and Winchester College Quiristers have for over 625 years sung services in Winchester College Chapel. In modern times they have formed a choir renowned for its excellence, and their musical director is Malcolm Archer.

The Quiristers, who form the top line of the choir, perform a wide variety of music at home and abroad. They benefit from bursaries, a first rate all-round education, and a particularly broad musical training. This builds confidence, teamwork and a commitment to the highest standards. The Quiristers also sing on their own as a concert choir, as well as with Winchester College Chapel Choir. The senior boys from the College, many with previous experience as both choristers and Quiristers, provide the lower voices.

Since 1966 the Quiristers have attended The Pilgrims’ School. They are given bursaries which are funded by Winchester College, and means tested top up funding is available up to 100 per cent. At Pilgrims’ the Quiristers benefit from the best academic teaching and join in all the school’s sporting activities.

Malcolm Archer
has had a distinguished career in church music. He held the post of Organist and Director of Music at Bristol, Wells and St Paul’s Cathedral. He was subsequently Director of Chapel Music at Winchester College for eleven years.

Malcolm studied as an RCO scholar at the Royal College of Music and was Organ Scholar at Jesus College Cambridge. His organ teachers were Ralph Downes, Gillian Weir and Nicolas Kynaston.

As an organist and harpsichordist he is in frequent demand. He has given solo concerts all over the world, including the USA, Canada, New Zealand and Europe. His performances with orchestra have included Poulenc’s Organ Concerto and Saint-Saëns Organ Symphony, Brandenburg Concerto No.5 and the Bach keyboard concertos. Malcolm has also performed with the London Symphony Orchestra in a classic rock concert in the Royal Albert Hall. Moreover, he has an extensive concert repertoire and has recorded a wide variety of works including J.S. Bach organ works and Messiaen’s La Nativité du Seigneuras.

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