Monaco Cathedral packed for Mozart Requiem tribute
By Zak Jackson, MonacoViews Editorial
A full house at Monaco Cathedral heard Turin's Melos Filarmonica orchestra and the Sanremo Filarmonica choir perform Mozart's Requiem in D minor.
Monaco Cathedral drew a capacity congregation on Thursday evening for a performance of Mozart's Requiem in D minor, marking 235 years since the composer's death. The Melos Filarmonica orchestra from Turin joined forces with the Filarmonica choir from Sanremo for the occasion, filling the Rock's principal place of worship with one of the most performed works in the classical repertoire.
The setting gave the Requiem particular weight. Monaco Cathedral, final resting place of Princess Grace and the Grimaldi family, has hosted sacred music before, but a full house for a visiting Italian ensemble underlines the appetite among residents for this kind of programming outside the usual Opera de Monte-Carlo season.
For those who missed Thursday's concert, it serves as a reminder that the cathedral regularly opens its doors to orchestras and choirs from along the coast, from Nice to Sanremo, offering an alternative to the Principality's more formal concert halls.