The rest of the concert consisted of a requiem by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Mozart was born on January 27th, 1756 in Salzburg (Program Notes, 33). He was a child prodigy, as a three-year-old boy, Mozart played the clavier and composed his first piece for the instrument at the age of five. Mozart was famous by the time he was six, giving public concerts to the masses. Mozart's musical ability became more and more apparent as he grew older, and as he toured around various parts of Europe, his fame expanded. At the age of twenty-five, Mozart married and settled in his homeland, Austria. The young couple struggled to clothe and feed themselves, and later their two children, although Mozart was for some time employed by Emperor Joseph of Austria. Mozart lived the life of a pauper, although at the time he was writing some of the most prolific music known today, up until his death on December 5th, 1791 in Vienna. Mozart composed masterpieces in every genre of music known to him, including symphonies, concertos, chamber music, church music, operas, and operettas, most of which are still famous today. Among his most acclaimed works are the operas "Don Giovanni," "The Magic Flute," and "Figaro." (Program Notes)
             It's the first day of spring break. What am I going to do? The answer is to go see a fantastic concert at the Minneapolis Orchestra Hall, unusual yes, but a good choice. I was looking forward to this concert mainly because of the requiem by Mozart, I had heard of Carl Nielsen before but could not recall any of his music. This was the first time I had been to see the Minnesota Orchestra, so I was not entirely unsure of what to expect. The hall itself was large and expansive. It was like a huge cavern culmination at the front with a dimly lit stage with numerous chairs waiting to be filled. I was seated on the first balcony level, two rows' back. The audience was filling in with noisy chatter and various other noises. Right at about ...