De Profundis
Out of the depths
Psalm 129 set as a single arc of supplication. The voice rises out of darkness toward the silence above it.
Classical · Viennese Classical · 1750 · 1825
Antonio Salieri
Imperial Kapellmeister of the Habsburg court. Salieri taught Beethoven, Schubert, and Liszt; wrote more than forty operas; and ended his life serving the same Viennese chapel for nearly half a century. The legend that he poisoned Mozart is a Romantic invention. The music he actually left is what you will hear here. From the depths of De Profundis to the C-minor Requiem he wrote for his own funeral, this is the work, in his own voice.
XXVI selections · 4h 16m
Individual works
Overtures, arias, and single pieces
Axur, re d'Ormus
Finale
The closing scene of his most successful opera. Vienna applauded this work more than Mozart's in its own day.
Venetian Symphony
Sinfonia veneziana
Three short, bright movements in the late-classical Italian manner. Salieri at his most direct.
Chamber Concerto in G
Oboe, two violins, viola, violoncello
A small concerto for an unusual ensemble. The oboe leads; the strings answer in chamber dialogue.
Imperial Fanfare
For the Habsburg court
A short ceremonial flourish for the Viennese court. Brass, drums, and the air of a coronation.
Serenata Cantabile
A short serenade in lyrical mode. Vocal line as serenade; serenade as confidence.
Magnificat
The Virgin's song of joy set in his Viennese sacred manner. Voices and strings in unhurried praise.
Come fuggir · Son queste le speranze
Axur, re d'Ormus
A scene from Axur. The dramatic line that made Salieri the imperial Kapellmeister of his age.
Cantata Giudizio Finale
The Final Judgement
A cantata on the Last Judgement. Solo voices, chorus, and orchestra setting the trumpet of Revelation.
Piano Concerto in C
A concerto in the Viennese classical mode. Soloist and orchestra in clear, balanced conversation.
Cublai, gran Kan de' Tartari
Opera selection
A scene from his late-career opera on Kublai Khan. Italian opera meets Asiatic grandeur.
La Tempesta di Mare
Overture
A storm at sea, in overture form. The orchestra as ocean; the ear as ship.
Les Horaces
Overture
Overture to his Paris tragédie-lyrique on the Horatii. Classical subject, French Empire scale.
Organ Concerto
Allegro ma non Molto
A movement from his organ concerto. Solo organ rising over the strings in long-breathed phrasing.
La Scuola de' Gelosi
The School of Jealousy · Overture
Overture to the comic opera that made his European reputation. Witty, fast-paced, classical.
Organ Concerto
Allegro Assai
The brilliant movement from the organ concerto. Soloist and orchestra at full energy.
La Grotta di Trofonio
The Cave of Trofonio · Overture
Overture to a comic opera of enchanted transformation. Vienna, 1785.
Die Hussiten vor Naumburg
Overture
Overture to a Singspiel on the historical siege of Naumburg. German-language opera in classical proportion.
Piano Concerto in B-flat major
432 Hz
His second piano concerto, in 432 Hz tuning. Bright, songful, classical in scale.
Der Rauchfangkehrer
The Chimney Sweep · Overture
Overture to his German Singspiel. Vienna, 1781; Mozart himself heard the premiere.
Venetian Symphony
432 Hz
A second reading of the Sinfonia veneziana, in 432 Hz tuning.
De Profundis
432 Hz
A second reading of the psalm setting, in 432 Hz tuning.
Les Danaïdes
Overture · 432 Hz
Overture to his Paris tragédie-lyrique, premiered at the Opéra in 1784 under his own direction.
Magnificat
432 Hz
A second reading of the Magnificat, in 432 Hz tuning.
Extended listening
The Requiem
Two complete readings of the Mass he wrote for his own funeral.
Requiem in C minor
Complete · 432 Hz
His own Requiem, written for his own funeral. He directed its first performance himself, then it was sung at his burial in 1825.
Requiem in C minor
Complete · second reading · 432 Hz
A second complete reading of the Requiem. The same passage from depth to light.