Mozart: Requiem - Some thoughts on the Süssmayr "Completion"

[atardecer]

For me Mozart's Requiem is one of the most moving works in the repertoire. When I listened to it for the first time all the way through I tried to detect parts that I felt were different and not completed by Mozart. I found it difficult to do so. I find the work quite inspired all the way through. For years I have had my doubts as to how much Süssmayr actually composed in this work. The fact is no one knows how many sketches Mozart had and how many now lost scrap pieces of paper Süssmayr was working with. Lately I came across this video where John Eliot Gardiner has stated he has similar feelings, and I found it quite interesting when he reveals that Süssmayr never claimed to have composed any of the Requiem, rather that he had only 'prepared' it.   

You can view the video on the BBC Arts twitter page here: https://twitter.com/bbcarts/status/1649082374313877504

Thoughts?

[MishaK]

There is a boardgame now, where your task is to be a wealthy arts patron who tries to help Constanze find the right person to complete the Lacrimosa:

https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/348450/lacrimosa

[Spotted Horses]

...I found it quite interesting when he reveals that Süssmayr never claimed to have composed any of the Requiem, rather that he had only 'prepared' it.

This contradicts the wikipedia page, which states that Süssmayr later claimed the Santus, Benedictus, and Agnus Dei as his original work (without any cites sources, that I could see).

[Leo K.]

After many years of listening to various completions of Mozart's Requiem and enjoying them all to a certain extent, I often find myself returning to Sussmayer's completion. Perhaps this preference stems from the fact that I initially imprinted on this particular version. Different interpretations have their merits, and it's fascinating how personal connections can influence our musical preferences.

It's a testament to the enduring power of Mozart's music that so many different interpretations can coexist and resonate with listeners in unique ways. While I appreciate the diversity of approaches to completing the Requiem Mass, there's something about Sussmayer's rendition that continues to draw me in.

The emotional impact of music is highly subjective, and our individual experiences can shape our musical preferences in profound ways. For me, Sussmayer's completion seems to capture the essence of the piece in a manner that resonates deeply, and it remains a source of comfort and familiarity over time.

[Scion7]

It's a tragedy that he didn't live to finish it - the first two parts are truly magnificent.

[atardecer]

Between the various sketches on scraps of paper Mozart likely left around for this work as well as (if I recall correctly) verbal instructions he gave Süssmayr from his deathbed, I suspect what we hear in the work is largely (if not all) Mozart. Some of the things may be recycled ideas from other works. 

While I'm not certain of this, I have trouble believing a person largely unknown aside from his role in preparing this work came up with those ideas. This work became among the most influential of Mozart's pieces on the romantic era, and has remained among his most popular and enduring works. It is regularly performed in it's complete form. The idea that much of it is Süssmayr just seems to me not probable.

[Scion7]

" When Mozart died, only the first number was complete in every detail, and the last three numbers—Sanctus, Benedictus and Agnus Dei— were non-existent. Of the remaining eight numbers, all but one were complete in essentials, though by no means fully scored. The exception is Lacrimosa, which Mozart brooded over on the day before his death: only the first eight bars, including the two of orchestral introduction, are his own composition. In completing the work, Siissmayr presumably followed Mozart's intentions wherever he knew them. According to Constanze, there were some sketches and jottings which she gave to Siissmayr. What those amounted to we do not know; nor do we know the extent to which the two men had discussed the work.  "

So, while we have our opinions, they are nothing more than speculation. If he had lived, we'd have heard a different, more fulfilling work.

[atardecer]

So, while we have our opinions, they are nothing more than speculation. If he had lived, we'd have heard a different, more fulfilling work.

It is possible this is true, on the other hand, spending more time on a work isn't a guarantee it will be better. It could also be that the situation itself contributed to the ideas and inspiration found in the work. Composed in a different frame of mind it may not have been as powerful.

[Scion7]

MOZART spending more time on this work/completing it IS a guarantee - we're not talking some 2nd-tier composer here, this is one of the five towering geniuses of classical music.

[Ganondorf]

One of the few works by Mozart that I unconditionally like and it wasn't even completely composed by him. Sussmayr did a fine job as well.

[atardecer]

MOZART spending more time on this work/completing it IS a guarantee - we're not talking some 2nd-tier composer here, this is one of the five towering geniuses of classical music.

I think that rather than appreciating the work for the miracle that it is, this attitude undervalues it by focusing on what one thinks it could or should be. If a listener goes in with that kind of mind-set towards it, it is a preconceived notion that taints a listening experience. It is what it is, and it is amazing.

[Scion7]

I love the movements he completed. The rest has an echo of Mozart, but is not all that should be.

[atardecer]

I love the movements he completed. The rest has an echo of Mozart, but is not all that should be.

But as you've said, this is a matter of speculation. You have also contradicted yourself on this point, at first singling out the 'first two parts', then posting a quote suggesting only the first movement was complete. Either way if you listen to the Dies Irae and only hear 'echoes of Mozart', and something that musically 'is not all that it should be'. That is an opinion I disagree with and even find shocking. The work seems to really be gaining in force and impact at that stage, not becoming less effective. I don't find any of the movements weak, or unfulfilling. I'm in alignment with Gardiner's remarks and find his comments illuminating.

[CRCulver]

The 2001 CD recording of the Requiem by Das Neue Orchester cond. Spering, on the Opus 111 label and sadly out of print, featured both the Süssmayr completion and the original sketches, so that listeners could judge for themselves how Süssmayr fleshed the work out.

[Scion7]

The problem is, those original sketches - after the initial movements - are very general - and ol' Wolfgang would have revised/orchestrated it with greater artistry had he not been dying of _________ (fill in your personal opinion of his medical condition.)