Rehearsing in Vienna’s Stephansdom prior to our midnight performance of
Mozart’s Requiem.
MOZART AT MIDNIGHT: 3–6 DECEMBER 2024 – VIENNA
Mozart at Midnight was our December Mozart pilgrimage to Vienna. The city, promising in advance to be dull and chilly, offered bright winter sunshine for much of our stay. No snow but plenty of atmosphere, with Christmas markets tempting us with Glühwein, delicious Marillenpunsch, tasty goulash served in bread-bowls, and hot roasted nuts.
The purpose of the visit was to sing Mozart’s Requiem in the Stephansdom, Vienna’s cathedral and – effectively – the composer’s parish church. Here Mozart married Constanze and saw two of his sons baptised. Here also his body was received and blessed before burial. To sing the Requiem in this building, starting at midnight and with the final chord dying away in the early hours of the morning (Mozart’s death is recorded as just after 1 o’clock) was an awesome experience and one enjoyed by around 180 TRBC singers.
The orchestra and soloists were provided by the cathedral, and our conductor was Oliver Stech, Choirmaster of the Vienna Boys Choir. His lively style and infectious enthusiasm soon endeared him to our singers, persuading them to sing Mozart’s semiquavers faster than they had imagined possible! A large audience filled the Stephansdom and the performance, as usual, ended in respectful silence.
An additional treat for TRBC singers was a private visit the following day to learn more about the work of the Vienna Boys Choir. A very informative video was followed by the arrival of around 20 or so boys. To our delight and surprise, Oliver Stech joined them to lead the rehearsal: his appearance drew extra applause in appreciation of the previous evening.
Many singers remained in Vienna for a couple more days, taking in a delicious communal meal in a traditional Heuriger. We visited the Esterházy Palace and the ancient town of Klosterneuburg with a wine-tasting in the 12th-century cellars of the Augustinian Abbey.
You can view the photos here, although it was not possible to take any during the concert itself. There are also a couple of very short videos on our YouTube channel.
Feedback from our singers:
‘Thank you to all who helped organise a wonderful trip’ (Mary G.)
‘My first experience of TRBC was wonderful. It was so special to sing in Vienna and to get to know lots of lovely people. (Debbie V.)
‘Thanks to all the team for a wonderful trip. I would love to do another one in the future as this one was so good.’ (Jennie W.)
‘Thank you to all at TRBC and Specialised Travel for another fantastic trip. Here’s to the next one!’ (Val W.)
We look forward now to the Costa del Sol in March 2025 and our Northern Lights choral cruise in October.