Mozart Requiem

Drawing large crowds at Christ Church and Concord’s St. Paul’s Church, Exeter’s chamber orchestra and concert choir performed Mozart’s “Requiem” in collaboration on three separate outings this past weekend. The two musical groups also had the opportunity to work with Exeter Choir Director Kristofer Johnson’s Concord Chorale, which prep Hanna Pak said, “brought a depth to the choir that we couldn’t otherwise achieve.” Pak said that because Exeter’s concert choir is relatively small, the Chorale had “a massive sound” which played an important role in the success of its piece.

“Mozart’s Requiem is one of the greatest pieces of music of all time—to get to play that in a high school orchestra is an incredible opportunity.”

Johnson said that the logistics of managing such a large group could be intense at times. He said, “How do we fit 170 musicians into small spaces while arranging for 60 Exonians to participate at such a busy time of the year? The daunting challenges multiplied as we approached performance weekend, but the glorious wall of sound that came from the assembled forces made all more than worth it.”

As the halfway point of spring term nears, many uppers are bogged down by the notorious 333 American history essay. The time consuming travel and performances were major obstacles. Johnson said, “Students sacrificed a lot of time during very busy weeks. We learned important lessons about timing and scheduling that we would be able to use in any future projects.” 

Similarly, senior Audrey Hood said that although there were struggles with the arrangements, ever since the orchestra and choir toured Vietnam together last year, the two have been especially good at collaborating with limited time.

Each group was generally impressed and happy with the outcome of the piece. Johnson referred to the project as “an unqualified success.” He praised the groups’ development in their respective skill throughout the weekend, and said, “Although Friday evening’s performance in Exeter was excellent, after two more outings through the music we reached a level that far outstripped our expectations. The Sunday performance in Concord was as close to a perfect, emotionally stirring and peak experience as I’ve ever led. This is the magic of repeating performances and it is one of the reasons we go on tour—locally or globally.” Hood added that she noticed a learning curve with the addition of the Concord Chorale as the orchestra adjusted their piece to accommodate to a much larger choir.

Upper Emily Robb said, “We’ve all put in a lot of effort and time leading up to the performances, and I don’t think any of us really expected the huge turnout that we got.”

Prep Mak Orafidiya specifically thought certain movements such as the introitus and lacrimosa went especially well.

Hood noted that at times leading up to the concert in the winter, “when the end product wasn’t quite in sight,” it could be rather difficult to stay focused with so many busy people; however, she addressed that in the end everyone was focused and played with a great deal of energy and enthusiasm, and she was pleased the group’s success.

Johnson added, “The weekend was a tremendously valuable experience for our students. Not only did they give to the community, in a profound act of non sibi, but they made wonderful connections with singers and players.” Having worked with world-class solo voices, he believed that the piece was important for the young students in their musical careers.

For Pak, she thought the traveling and collaboration with such a large group while performing a difficult piece of this magnitude was a gratifying and important event for her to be a part of. Hood added, “This was definitely a very important experience in our musical lives. Mozart’s Requiem is one of the greatest pieces of music of all time—to get to play that in a high school orchestra is an incredible opportunity.” She also admired working under the instruction of Johnson, saying that his contributions as a conductor made the event even more special.

Johnson said that all three audiences’ responses were very positive. “They have earned accolades from far and wide. Our three sold-out audiences reported being transported by a transcendent experience.”