By Stephanie Guevara
The Chamber Chorale of East Los Angeles College partnered with the the Choir of St. Bede to deliver a graceful performance of W.A. Mozart’s “The Requiem K 626” on Saturday.
“The Requiem” is Mozart’s final composition in Latin, which he offered to the Catholic church before his death.
Only the first two movements were complete until Austrian composer Franz Xaver Süssmayr finished it to commemorate the anniversary of his dead wife.
“The Requiem” in D minor is a requiem mass that Mozart started in Vienna. ELAC and St. Bede set the tone of the night as they sang the first movement in a soothing way.
The evening began with “Introitus,” a piece that starts off instrumentally. The Chamber Orchestra provided an intense melody, which the piece required, followed by a powerful vocal entrance.
At times, the piece is soothing and nostalgic, which will leave the audiences in awe.
Their voices resonated throughout St. Bede Venerable Church.
Among the St. Bedes Choir were the voices of ELAC alumni alto Bianca Garcia, tenor Franke Lopez and bass Sam Aguirre. They were among the four who performed solos throughout the night.
As part of the first movement, ELAC graduates performed solos and then came together in harmony.
The soloists showcased their best vocal talent of the night as they sang “Offertorium.”
It had a loud choir entrance followed by the four soloists. They finished the piece in unison.
Aguirre started off the solo part in a low-register voice, followed by Galicia, Lopez and Thelen in a high-register voice.
Music Department chair Dr. Anthony Lupica was the director of the night.
To conclude the night, the choir gave a melancholic feel to “Communio.” Lupica explained to the audience that Süssmayr decided to finish the Requiem with “Communio” to commemorate his dead wife.