About 1,500 people gathered at the Havana Cathedral to enjoy a concert program that included Mozart’s Requiem on the night of April 15th. Author: Ariadna Prado Cabale

They say that Requiem Mozart (1791) was, in principle, a commissioned piece to be performed at the funeral of the wife of an aristocrat of the time, but the Austrian composer, so attached to supernatural beliefs, created it as if it were his own funeral. The truth is that Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart did not complete his last composition, although he did leave some indications that one of his students, Franz Xavier Süssmayr, suggested completed what became Requiem in D minor, K. 626.

More than two centuries later, Mozart’s last great work (1756-1791) travels the world in various angles and interpretations, passes through the biggest stages and is revered by excellent artists and audiences of all stripes. Even the apostle José Marti, in a review published in 1875 in La Revista Universal de México, hearing the version Requiem for a string quintet conducted by José White, he could not be more precise when he defined Mozart’s music as “a kind of lamentation of angels”.

This cry of the divine transcends the earthly and elevates viewers to beings who overcome suffering, memory and longing. Never before has a work with such a dark concept evoked the most enthusiastic feelings, or at least this may be the thought that jumps out when confronted with the interpretation of the work. Requiem mozartian. It is also thanks to the performers who made this possible, as happened during the solo concert that took place recently in the Cathedral of Havana, where the Schola Cantorum Coralina, the Chamber Choir of the University of the Arts (ISA), the National Lyric Theater Chorus with some components of the German Ensemble Balthasar Neumann and Orchestra of the Lyceum of Havana, all conducted by the excellent Thomas Hengelbrock.

It was a concert with various support and motivation, timed to coincide with the celebration of Europe Month in Cuba, which, according to the organizers, brought together about 1,500 people in the Havana Cathedral, demonstrating that Mozart’s music beats and calls, even in this century. And with such a manifestation of sensations in the midst of the fullness of the Communio, in the twilight of the performance, it was impossible not to think: “How Wolfgang Amadeus would like to see this.”

What he experienced that night in the cathedral is still amazing, including the German conductor Thomas Hengelbrock, with whom rebellious youth had the opportunity to talk about the days when Mozart was heard again in Havana. This European creator is not an unknown person on the Cuban stage, since in 2019, also at the head of the orchestra of the Havana Lyceum, he performed works by Schumann, as well as coronation mass from Mozart. Use these cover letters to interpret Requiem the Austrian composer in the capital of the Greater Antilles, along with Cuban musicians, it was difficult to avoid temptation.

“My relationship with Cuba started like a big romance in 2014 when I saw the fantastic work they are doing here with music. Therefore, I decided to keep in touch, also for the benefit of the ISA professors and the lyceum orchestra,” admits the German violinist and musicologist who leads the Balthasar Neumann Ensemble, a group he founded in the early 1990s with a desire to perform works. different periods with a historicist criterion.

It was with some components of the Ensemble and the group’s choir that Hengelbrock took part in this exchange to form a proposal that was adopted at Havana Cathedral, which included workshops and previous academic meetings with Cuban musicians. A recital can be defined as a journey in the opposite direction, when the audience took symphony And Salmon. 43 German “post-Mozartian” Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847), music that anticipated the arrival of the unmistakable Requiem Austrian composer.

Hengelbrock, whose repertoire ranges from early music to contemporary works between the 19th and 20th centuries, confirms the theatrical spirit of Mozart’s music. “He is the greatest musical genius of the 18th century, especially in opera. For some reason, when he writes symphonies, piano works or his own Requiem, imbued with this theatrical spirit. When I come across this, it is necessary to make a very clear analysis of what the text means. This letter in Latin may be far away for many, but if you do a real analysis of what it says, various images and biblical texts, then it becomes a kind of opera, with all its drama.

“The beginning of her interpretation is the result of a long process that includes a detailed study of each piece of music. At Balthasar Neumann – the band has its own academy – there are libraries and musicologists who specialize in providing context for each of the programs we perform. In addition, I spent a lot of time visiting libraries in Poland and Italy to find the original sources of the music that I then perform as a conductor. I try to have a very clear idea of ​​how I want to listen to music and work with the performers to understand every musical phrase, but then I dive into them with all the emotion and passion,” he explains.

This emotionality is an integral part of the work of Thomas Hengelbrock. In the moment Requiemled an orchestra and choir without notes, and the fact is that, in addition to knowing the works of Wolfgang Amadeus by heart, thanks to musical skill, he prefers to be seduced by a work that elevates the spirit.

This conductor, who has commanded from the Parisian orchestra to the Vienna and Munich Philharmonic, enjoys his work, and this is what the public perceived in his last performance in the Cuban capital. “Each orchestra sounds different, and that fascinates me. I wouldn’t have come to Cuba if I didn’t have the hope, desire and knowledge that these musicians and singers have something new to say and bring to the world. Requiem which, for example, the Vienna Philharmonic does not have. European orchestras are very good, but there is a certain resistance to go further, they have extremely good programs. But at the end of the day, it’s about creating an emotional musical journey with each line-up that is bearable and interesting.”

The human nature of art

Thomas Hengelbrock admits that he is no longer a “big fan” of recording his music on CD, although his discography exceeds thirty items. “I love it when people come to a concert, it’s always a unique experience. Now that we have so much access to music on digital platforms, we must protect the uniqueness of a concert, which is the moment when musicians truly connect with the audience and generate new experiences.”

This face-to-face exchange, not only with the public, but also in the rehearsal stage with the musicians, even in the exploration stage, is a playground for the creator who does not hide his curiosity. This may explain why among his most personal tastes are his fascination with jazz and other contemporary music besides his career as a conductor, as well as his approach to other artistic expressions such as dance, and his collaboration with Pina Bausch herself, a revitalizing contemporary dance teacher. . “The essence of any art tells us about human nature, and this is what I shared with Pina. We worked on a production for the Paris Opera for three months and were very close to a very similar idea of ​​what art is: letting go, succumbing to emotions, getting out of the marked.

“You need to go on stage when you really have something to say. At Balthasar Neumann we focus on that and for example we go to refugee camps, schools, nursing homes, Alzheimer’s treatment centers and I always tell my musicians not to play anything other than Carnige Hall or the Cathedral from Havana. You always have to play with the same passion and the same idea to say something.”

Source: Juventud Rebelde