Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, Manfred Honeck - Requiem: Mozart's Death in Words and Music (2025) [Hi-Res]

At the heart of this release lies a dramatic reimagining of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s great Requiem, in which musical movements are interwoven with poetry, historical accounts, and religious texts surrounding the composer’s death in 1791.
REFERENCE RECORDINGS is proud to present a truly unique interpretation of Mozart’s beloved Requiem. Academy Award and Golden Globe winner—and Broadway star—F. Murray Abraham joins Manfred Honeck, the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, the Mendelssohn Choir of Pittsburgh, and the Westminster Choir for Honeck’s dramatic conception, titled "Requiem: Mozart’s Death in Words and Music." This album was recorded live in 2023 at the beautiful, historic Heinz Hall—home to the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra—in superb, audiophile-quality sound.
Moving beyond a standard, conventional performance of the traditional Requiem (which was completed by Franz Xaver Süssmayr), Manfred Honeck has crafted an expansive historical and musical fresco.
Honeck has made the deliberate choice to include only those portions of the Requiem that Mozart himself had written—either in whole or in part—before his passing, omitting the later additions by Süssmayr (such as the Sanctus, Benedictus, and Agnus Dei).
The musical segments are interspersed with the sounds of Austrian funeral bells, Gregorian chants, and other works by Mozart that reflect his Catholic faith and his contemplations on death. Among them are the *Maurerische Trauermusik* (Masonic Funeral Music), the motet *Ave verum corpus*, and "Laudate Dominum" from *Vesperae solennes de confessore*.
A crucial element of the album is the spoken-word narration. Excerpts from the Bible (the Book of Revelation), as well as letters and poems, are read by the renowned American actor F. Murray Abraham. It is highly symbolic that he is the very same actor who played the role of Antonio Salieri in Miloš Forman’s iconic film *Amadeus* (1984).