Tuesday, Oct 10, 2017
The Westminster Symphonic Choir will perform Mozart鈥檚 Mass in C Minor, also known as the Great Mass, with the Orchestra of St. Luke鈥檚 conducted by Pablo Heras-Casado on Thursday, October 12 at 8 p.m. in Carnegie Hall in New York City.
The Mass in C Minor was Mozart鈥檚 last composition in the genre and a work borne of considerable personal and professional conflict, and ultimately was left unfinished. This massive setting of the Roman Catholic Mass pushes the boundaries of the genre to their breaking point, transforming a religious ritual into a spectacular operatic experience
Pablo Heras-Casado has been described by the New York Times as "the thinking person鈥檚 idea of a hotshot young conductor,鈥 although his character is better reflected in the quality of the long-term relationships he has developed with orchestras ranging from the San Francisco Symphony and Los Angeles Philharmonic to the Philharmonia Orchestra and London Symphony Orchestra; from Staatskapelle Berlin and the Mariinsky Orchestra to Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks and Freiburg Baroque Orchestra; and as Principal Conductor Laureate of Orchestra of St. Luke鈥檚, New York, and Principal Guest Conductor of Teatro Real, Madrid. That character also underlies his commitment as an ambassador for the Spanish charity Ayuda en Acci贸n, supporting and promoting its work to eradicate poverty and injustice internationally. This performance is Westminster鈥檚 first with Maestro Heras-Casado.
Photo: Post-performance bows with The Berliner Philharmoniker and Simon Rattle at Carnegie Hall.