You may recall the 'Rolling Requiem" project on September 11, 2002. On that date, the one year anniversary of the attacks, Mozart's Requiem was performed worldwide at 8.46 a.m. local time. I lost count of the number of performances given across the globe. I do know Ohio was well represented, and Columbus was very well represented. Joel Mathias, Minister of Music at the Broad Street Presbyterian Church conducted our 'rolling requiem". This was an all volunteer endeavor, with little or no rehearsal. People took off a work day to be together in a grand downtown church, and to pray with music. WOSU broadcast the performance live. Our web site crashed because of all the on line listeners. I am very proud of this broadcast. Thank you, Joel, plus Dave Carwile and Kevin Petrilla who made it happen. This post includes five minutes of that performance This Sunday, the tenth anniversary is commemorated with another performance of the Mozart Requiem, thanks again to Joel Mathias and Broad Street Presbyterian. Again, all volunteer. If you want a perfect performance of the Mozart Requiem, go buy performances by Robert Shaw or Colin Davis or Bruno Walter. The "rolling requiem" and its descendants are people who want to sing and grieve and play...together. Mozart's Requiem, Sunday September 11, 2011 at 4 PM, Broad Street Presbyterian church, 760 E. Broad St., Columbus. Come early.
Christopher Purdy is Classical 101's early morning host, 7-10 a.m. weekdays. He is host and producer of Front Row Center – Classical 101’s weekly celebration of Opera and more – as well as Music in Mid-Ohio, Concerts at Ohio State, and the Columbus Symphony broadcast series. He is the regular pre-concert speaker for Columbus Symphony performances in the Ohio Theater.