Diverse entertainment can inspire, increase imagination and create community across all boundaries. Last Saturday, the Starkville-MSU Symphony Orchestra presented a magical night performing the greatest works of Austrian composer genius Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. 

The orchestra was joined by concert choirs from Mississippi State University and the Mississippi University for Women. The entertainers performed Symphony No. 41, titled “The Jupiter,” and “Requiem in D minor.”

Though “Requiem” was unfinished at the time of Mozart’s death, it was completed by his student Franz Xaver Süssmayr using notes left behind by Mozart. The piece was anonymously commissioned by Austrian Count Franz von Walsegg as a memorial for the anniversary of his wife’s passing, but was first performed for the funeral mass for Mozart himself. Before his passing, Mozart confessed to his wife he believed he was writing the piece for his own funeral.

The drama behind the composition was not lost in the symphony orchestra’s performance. Combined with the ambience of Bettersworth Auditorium in Lee Hall, the orchestra filled the space with the resplendent melodies of the pieces. 

When the choirs joined, the music became a sacrosanct memory shared between every member of the audience. 

The enactment of the third movement, beginning with the intense song “Dies Irae,” was simply enrapturing. 

Solo performances from Tara Warfield, Jeanette Fontaine, Ryan Landis and Peter Infanger added an irresistible spiritual element, which made the entire room feel small.

The “Requiem” mass has been performed many times and in several places and is widely hailed as one of the most influential pieces of music.

Attending the performance of such a piece of music by a group of immensely talented choirs was an honor and reflects the excellence of the musical programs at the university.