Review: Mozart Requiem, Australian Brandenburg Orchestra

“The four soloists (soprano Amy Moore, alto Max Riebl, tenor Paul Sutton and bass Alexander Knight) joined forces for a rambunctious rendition of Orlando di Lasso’s Mantona Mia Cara. Sung from the top loft above the organ, the song hilariously captures a German soldier boasting of his virility in Italian and bad French to an Italian girl, full of louche lines like “When I go hunting, I hunt with the falcon / I’ll bring you woodcock, fat as a kidney”, and “I will make love to you all night long, thrusting like a ram”. It was a brilliant romp, waggishly choreographed and executed with perfect timing.” - Andrew Luboski, Limelight Magazine

The Australian Brandenburg Orchestra has put on a characteristically bold and thoughtful concert, entitled Mozart Requiem: 100 Voices. In it they join forces with the Brandenburg Choir and the Brandenburg Young Voices, a choir comprised of children from some sixteen schools from around Sydney. Artistic Director Paul Dyer pointed out before the music began that this concert was about more than itself, since it was a chance to give the next crop of Australian singers a go, while also showcasing soloists who themselves were once in the youth choir. As Richard Gill regularly reminds us in his Limelight column, music education is indispensable to one’s school experience, and Dyer and the Brandenburg Orchestra should be congratulated on their promoting music education. Read the rest of the review