Student Becomes Master | Yateley Choral Society

About Student Becomes Master | Yateley Choral Society

Join us together with professional soloists and organist on 9th November to hear how Antionio Salieri, a revered but largely forgotten master, helped to shape the talent of one of his most famous students, Franz Schubert.

Salieri was Director of the Italian Opera in Vienna, Hofkapellmeister of the Austrian Imperial Court and a sought-after teacher. Despite his success, Salieri’s reputation was later overshadowed by (now debunked) rumours of a rivalry with Mozart which famously became the subject of Peter Shaffer’s play, Amadeus, and the film of the same name.

Salieri achieved his greatest fame as an opera composer, but he also composed over a hundred sacred works. This concert presents his motet ‘Confirma Hoc Deus’ alongside his ‘Mass in D Major’ (known also as the ‘Emperor Mass’) which was written in 1788 for a celebration of the return of Emperor Joseph II from battle with the Turks. A landmark in the history of music at the Vienna court chapel, the Mass is a work of impressive beauty.

Whilst not responsible for Mozart’s death, Salieri was responsible for talent-spotting a seven year-old Franz Schubert, to whom he taught theory and composition. During the concert YCS will also perform Schubert’s ‘Mass No. 2 in G Major’ and a setting of his ‘Ave Maria’, which are two of his best known sacred works. He is reputed to have composed the Mass in less than a week and, perhaps for that reason, its relative simplicity and elegance have made it a favourite among choral works. His timeless ‘Ave Maria’ is without doubt his most famous piece, and has been recorded by artists as diverse as Maria Callas, Luciano Pavarotti, Celine Dion and Barbara Streisand … and even quoted in a single by Beyoncé!

A pay bar will be available before the concert and during the interval.