Victoria Chorale "Mozart Great Mass in C Minor" Concert
© Commissioned by Victoria Chorale Inc. All rights reserved.
Victoria Chorale Concert: Mozart’s “Great Mass in C Minor”
Victoria Chorale presents the Great Mass in C Minor by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Victoria ChoraleArt of Sound Ensemble
Conductor Mario Dobernig
To launch our 2026 concert program, we are excited to present the Great Mass in C Minor by much-loved audience favourite, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, to take place at 5pm on Saturday 16 May 2026 at Melbourne’s magnificent St Paul’s Cathedral.Described as ‘Great’ because of its sheer size, the Mass represents Mozart at his most daring and innovative. Soaring above the conventions of his time, he crafted the C Minor Mass to be a work of breathtaking scope and architectural grandeur featuring many virtuoso arias for soprano and mezzo soprano and a double choir with two separate four-part choirs (soprano alto, tenor, bass) that push the human voice to its expressive limits.
Considered his most personal sacred work, it was composed not out of economic necessity but out of a deeply-held conviction: a promise to his new wife Constanze, who herself sang in the first and only performance to take place in his lifetime at St Peters, Salzburg in 1783. Mozart tailored the large range of challenging vocal melody (coloratura) of the soprano solos to Costanza’s beautiful voice, so she could suitably display her vocal gifts.
Mozart did not finish the work and the reasons for this remain a mystery - there is speculation that the practical pressures of needing to find financial work, personal demands in Vienna, or possibly the tragic death of his child contributed.
His planned big tenor and bass arias to match the scale of the soprano arias were not composed and large portions of the Credo and the complete Agnus Dei are missing. However, this work demonstrates Mozart unleashing the full force of his genius with melodies and themes woven together to create harmony and complexity and rich orchestral colours.
Conducted by our exciting and innovative Musical Director, Mario Dobernig, we will be joined by the brilliant Art of Sound Orchestra and talented soloists, Molly Ryan, Soprano, Sally-Anne Russell, Mezzo Soprano, Jiacheng Ding, Tenor and Baritone (to be announced).
A performance not to be missed!Early bird closes 31 March 2026.
5.00 pm Saturday 16 May, 2026
St Paul's Cathedral
Cnr Flinders and Swanston Streets, Melbourne Vic 3000
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