Choristers from all over the world came together in Vienna to practise for three days, the culmination of which was a spiritually powerful rendition of Mozart’s hauntingly beautiful Requiem. Veronica Stivala was lucky enough to experience both the rehearsals and the performance.

This is the year of Mozart anniversaries. The music world is celebrating the 260th birthday of the musical genius Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart as well as the 225th anniversary of his death. Mozart was born on January 27, 1756 to Leopold and Anna Maria Mozart. This year is also the 175th anniversary of the Mozarteum Orchestra (Salzburg). The list goes on and includes the 250th anniversary of the birthday of Franz Xaver Süssmayr renowned for his completion of Mozart’s Requiem in D Minor (KV 626).

In Vienna, this Requiem, directed by Gerald Wirth, composer and artistic director and conductor of the Vienna Boys Choir, was recently performed by choristers from all over the world. Taking part in this international choir were some 170 choristers from Austria, Germany, Cyprus, the UK, Italy, Liechtenstein, New Zealand, Netherlands, Switzerland, the US and Malta. The 14 choristers from Malta were all members of the St Paul Choral Society (SPCS), including their choirmaster Hugo Agius Muscat. Following an intensive three days of rehearsals, they joined the huge choir to sing at the majestic St Stephen’s Cathedral (more commonly known by its German title, Stephansdom) in Vienna’s central square on July 16.

The event was organised by Kunst and Kultur. Choristers, who had to be in Vienna with the music studied and with their own musical scores, participated in the workshops under the direction of Gerald Wirth, followed by a grand performance. The annual event is so popular that there was one lady who had participated 15 times.

Wirth commented on how the whole process, both the rehearsals and the actual performance of the Requiem, was a spiritual experience for him and for the choristers

I was lucky to be able to sit in on some of the rehearsals and to then experience the performance of Mozart’s hauntingly beautiful Requiem.

With his shock of salt and pepper, curly hair, Wirth led the choristers, accompanied by pianist Max Schamschula. Increasingly, in the past few years, Wirth has been holding workshops around the world to pass on his rich expertise in the fields of choir directing, conducting, voice training, and performance practice. He is convinced that the intensive engagement in music has a positive impact on every aspect of the personality and motivates his students to live up to their full potential.

The night of the performance.The night of the performance.

Gerald WirthGerald Wirth

Since the early 1990s, Wirth has been working on a unique method for teaching music extensively within a choir setting and teaching general music education with the voice as its medium. Several organisations around the world have already adapted the Wirth method.

In his words: “A choir consists of many individuals who should perform as one. However, a concert only becomes exciting and good if every singer contributes with his or her own personality.”

The atmosphere in the room was one of happiness. With a musical background, I found myself joining in the morning exercises to loosen up the body, patting my chest, arms and back, shaking my head and torso and running through vocal scales and arpeggios to warm up my voice. Nothing beats the joy of creating a communal sound, of creating heavenly harmonies and this uplifting feeling of being creative together was almost tangible among the singers.

It was surely no mean feat for them to work together and over the three days, the choristers practised and rehearsed for at least four hours a day. Speaking about his experience, Hugo Agius Muscat, SPCS choirmaster (who joined as a choir member) said:

“Performing in the festival took me back a couple of decades to when I was active as a bass singer in choirs, first with the Warwick University Choir and other UK choirs during my postgraduate studies, and later with choirs in Malta until I set up the St Paul Choral Society.

“What is different now is that, after having worked extensively as a choir director, I know what a choirmaster wants from his choristers... so I did my best to deliver it. I also empathised with the choirmaster, when not all the choir grasped quickly what he was trying to achieve. In Wirth, we found a charismatic leader indeed. Everyone I spoke to found the whole experience to be uplifting. I was honoured when Gerald asked me to lead the choir warm-up before the performance.”

And, finally, the evening of the concert arrived. The never-ending queue of patrons waiting to listen to Mozart was impressive... an apt prelude to what was to be an uplifting performance. And, when the church gates were opened, the people practically ran in to get the best seats.

The 14 choristers from Malta were all members of the St Paul Choral Society, including their choirmaster Hugo Agius Muscat

The choir, so neat, in their matching black trousers and white shirts, was joined by four talented soloists: soprano Sandra Trattnigg, alto Christa Ratzenböck, tenor Gernot Heinrich and bass Steven Scheschareg.

Wirth moved emotionally with the music as he conducted the chorus of seraphic voices. The Lacrimosa, as always, was an everpowerful piece with its pining violins and accompanying lamenting voices that soared powerfully and fell equally majestically and I was left with goosebumps as the music wafted through the Romanesque/Gothic cathedral.

Speaking at a reception after the grand performance, Wirth commented on how the whole process, both the rehearsals as well as the actual performance of the Requiem was a spiritual experience for him, and for the choristers. Indeed, one could now understand the lengthy pauses he sometimes took in between movements, preparing himself, the singers, the musicians and the audience for the next movement.

In Malta, the SPCS, under its music director and conductor, Hugo Agius Muscat, will also be performing the Requiem and other pieces by Mozart in November.

The choir included 14 choristers from Malta.The choir included 14 choristers from Malta.

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