Mozart 250th anniversary Summer Concert & Supper

There has been music on the site of the Old Royal Naval College since Greenwich Palace was built by Henry VII in the sixteenth century, and records show that distinguished musicians, including Orlando Gibbons, have been employed in the service of the chapel music. On 27 June music will once again be heard as the Old Royal Naval College Choir and Greenwich Baroque Orchestra perform Mozart’s ‘Vesperae Solennes de Confessore’ K339, which dates from 1780. Performing on ‘period instruments’ the audience will hear the particular sound and colour that composers would have expected allowing them to understand the score as it was originally conceived. Following the concert, supper will be served in one of the ‘finest banqueting halls of Europe’ – the Painted Hall.

In this anniversary year, an all Mozart programme is a must. The major work in this programme is Mozart’s ‘Vesperae Solennes de Confessore’ K339, which dates from 1780 towards the end of his Salzburg years. This setting of psalms and the Magnificat from the office of Vespers, which is sung daily in the Catholic Church, is now most famous for the beautiful soprano solo Laudate Dominum which is a wedding favourite for many. The programme begins with one of Mozart’s most famous works for solo soprano and orchestra: Exultate Jubilate – a triumphant song of praise. Originally written for the famous castrato Venanzio Rauzzini this virtuoso work has become one of the cornerstones of the coloratura soprano repertoire and the final Alleluia is probably one of the most recorded pieces of music ever written.

£40 (concert only £15), plus £1.50 booking fee.
Ticket price includes a 2-course dinner with a glass of wine.