Guest
The opening movement of Mozart's motet Exsultate Jubilate, performed on original instruments by the award winning Early Music ensemble Voices of Music. Nola Richardson, soprano. This work presented here for the first time in 8K video on period instruments. Months after completing the Divertimento in D Major, Leopold and Wolfgang Mozart left for their third tour of Italy, with a first stop in Milan. There they met the soprano castrato, composer, and harpsichordist Venanzio Rauzzini, who was cast as one of the leads in Wolfgang Mozart’s new opera Lucio Silla opposite the prima donna Anna Lucia de Amicis. Clearly, Mozart was impressed by Rauzzini’s talent, because he composed this motet a month later to showcase the singer’s abilities. Its premiere took place in a Milan church on January 17, 1773. While the work has a religious text, it could be understood as a concerto for soprano voice: its fast-slow-fast structure certainly echoes that of an instrumental concerto, with the addition of a recitative between the first and second sections. Dazzling runs and flourishes in the outer sections to exhortations of “Rejoice, oh blessed souls!” and “Alleluia!” bookend a lovely, lilting heart, in which a prayer for peace and relief from grief is cast in gentle shade (Sophie Benn). Soprano Nola Richardson makes her Voices of Music debut as an “especially impressive” soprano (The New York Times), Australian-American Nola Richardson’s repertory ranges from medieval to contemporary works, including several world premieres. She has been particularly noted for her performances of Bach, Handel and Mozart and has won First Prize in all three major American competitions focused on the music of J.S. Bach. Recent seasons have featured her debuts with the Atlanta, Baltimore, Cincinnati, Colorado, Helena, Kansas City, Pittsburgh, and Seattle Symphonies as well as with Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra, American Bach Soloists, American Classical Orchestra, Musica Angelica, and with Musica Sacra in her acclaimed Carnegie Hall solo debut. Ms. Richardson is represented by Schwalbe & Partners *Voices of Music Classical Orchestra* Hanneke van Proosdij, leader & keyboard First violins Elizabeth Blumenstock, Aniela Eddy, Augusta McKay Lodge** & Shelby Yamin Second violins Lisa Grodin, Kati Kyme* & Linda Quan Violas Maria Caswell* Mitso Floor & Anthony Martin Violoncelli: William Skeen* & Elisabeth Reed Viennese double bass: Farley Pearce* Horns: Elisabeth Axtell & Sadie Glass* Oboes: Pablo O’Connell & Marc Schachman* **concertmaster *principal performed on period instruments #Amadeus Boby Borisov, audio engineer and ambisonics design Video: Lloyd Hryciw 8K technology: David Tayler Post production: David Tayler, Andrew Levy & Boby Borisov
