Julian Rachlin
Arnold Schoenberg Chor
Chamber Orchester of Europe

It is as magnificent and mysterious as it was on the very first day: the breathtaking Great Mass in C minor, K. 427. Alongside the Requiem, composed eight years later, it is the only major work of church music from Mozart’s Viennese years; indeed, in terms of its structure, it is the most extensive – and yet it too remains unfinished and shrouded in mystery. Why a Mass at all, when Mozart had only just escaped his unwelcome service to the Prince-Archbishop of Salzburg? Why the sumptuous Baroque form, with individual movements ranging from arias to ensembles and a grand chorus? Even though Emperor Joseph II had restricted the performance opportunities for such works? Was the Mass intended as a votive offering in the face of a serious illness suffered by Konstanze, from which his then-future, and later young, wife recovered? It is considered certain that the demanding soprano part was written for her voice: the work is a test of her abilities in every respect. Together with the Chamber Orchestra of Europe, the Arnold Schoenberg Chor and a hand-picked quartet of soloists, Julian Rachlin rises to this challenge.