EF Academy Oxford experience Mozart’s Requiem by Candlelight

Last weekend some of EF Academy Oxford were fortunate enough to see Mozart’s Requiem performed at the famous St Martin-in-the-Fields Church, which hosts some of the most prolific Classical music concerts in the country. Here first year student, Rosemary Lane, describes the experience:

A small group of students and staff went to see a performance of Mozart’s Requiem performed by the Belmont Ensemble in London at St. Martin in the Fields. We took the cozy X90 there and had a very quick dinner (for the students it was fast food sushi) and then took in the sights of Trafalgar Square on a Saturday night while waiting for our admission into the church. The church was nicely lit by candlelight and we sat in boxes by the side walls.

For the first hour they performed a variety of pieces by Handel and Mozart. A personal favourite of mine from the first hour, was Salzburg composed by Mozart, although it was nice to have Handel in the mix to offset the 2 distinct styles. We also heard a fairly new piece, meaning it was discovered in 2001, by Mozart, that I really enjoyed. The orchestra was composed of string and wind instruments, and was accompanied by 2 opera singers and a vocal choir.

After a short intermission, we went back into the church in order to bask in the sound waves of Mozart’s Requiem, which means a mass for the dead. The piece was historically controversial given the circumstances of its completion. The wife of Mozart, Constanze, wanted to collect the final commission for the piece but Mozart unfortunately died before he could finish it. So, she gave the piece to another composer to finish and kept the whole thing a secret.

Nonetheless, the piece was breathtaking and the hour spent with the orchestra and choir making their magic was blissful. It was a very emotional experience on my part, and I found myself coming out of the experience in a distinctly different mental state, although what that state may be, is still yet to be known.