Any admirer of Mozart loves his Great Mass (Grosse Messe) in C minor. It’s a little too allegro for a Mass that one expects to be grave and solemn, but it has one minute on the second movement that almost makes me believe in god.
If you never listen to it, make yourself a favor and go listen. If you don’t want to “waste” one hour of your life listening to a musical genius, jump to minute 4 and listen for 90 seconds:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ez0kqVShFEsThis tiny part of the Mass was made famous from being picked by Neville Marriner to be the main song of the key scene on the movie Amadeus (1984). A poignant scene that gave an Oscar to Murray Abraham, for his role as Antonio Salieri.
In the movie, Salieri has a mix of envy/hate and profound admiration for Mozart. In this memorable scene, he realizes the true genius of Mozart. You can watch it here (not a good quality)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rvRGAlbiv5gAs someone wrote, most of us live hoping to become a memory…
I wonder if when Murray Abraham was playing this scene he realized it was his real chance in life to reach out for a long last memory? If he apprehended how grandiose Mozart is and how his music would help him leave his mark.
The play writer (also author of the 1979 play that inspired the movie), Peter Shaffer, did not do justice to Mozart, retracting him as a ridiculous person. But he wrote memorable lines to this scene. He had to love his music.
Neville Marriner (unfortunately, died on 2016), music supervisor of the movie, gave the right place to some of Mozart’s masterpieces, including the omnipresent Lacrimosa from Requiem (
https://vimeo.com/28432412).
But he forgot many, including the tiny, 70 seconds, always forgotten, sublime aria from Idomeneo:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O4CW6dxkqEwJump to minute 128. It’s about 70 seconds of your life.