Yesteryear or World premiere?

Now you think jazz listeners are snobs? What about classical "purists" To say for some people there hasn't been a good piece of music written in 150 years is not an unusual statement to hear. Although I wouldn't have been able to glean that viewpoint from yesterday's concert at The Kennedy Center because I don't speak Russian.

My sophisticated and culturally informed girlfriend treated me to a lovely afternoon concert (dragging me away from another football fest) primarily to hear one of her favorite pieces, Mozart's Requiem. I'm more of a Tchaikovsky guy and am used to hearing just the orchestra and maybe a soloist out front bustin' some Suzuki style violin. But this piece relies heavily on the 100 strong chorus and 4 lead vocals.

It's clear that Mozart's a genius, completely at ease baring his tortured soul to parchment and letting the music sweep and drag it all over the gentry's soft sensibilities. The man was clearly too hardcore for Salzburg, and it is apparent the city does not honor his legacy adequately. I've seen the documentaries, and girlfriend assures me, Austria ain't all that.

Preceeding this piece was a world premiere piece by some young composer alinged with the Washington Chorus. Description is as such:

"Hope and Remembrance"

Join Maestro Robert Shafer and the 200 voices of The Washington Chorus for a concert of hope and
remembrance to mark the five-year anniversary of September 11. Mozart's Requiem was performed
throughout the world following the tragedy of September 11 in a "rolling requiem." This Mourning,
commissioned by The Washington Chorus from composer Joel Puckett, is written for chorus and
orchestra and features the poetry of Emily Dickinson and Thomas Bailey Aldric

Well, it was another example of how maligned modern classical music is. There's too much attetion to setting the mood and using alternated techniques to achieve this mood. Attention young composers, if you're not a genius, if you haven't lived music at least for 3/4ths of your life, if you don't draw little dots on your bedsheets, do not offer yourselves up for commission. Lay low and practice, but you man, these tickets are expensive! Don't waste my time!

The element most mismanaged was the use of the Washington Gay Men's Chorus, 30 strong, who were there, not to bust pipe {heh} but to do that rub the crystal glass thing, making some kind of "haunting semi-tone chord" while the violins played the same chord. The 100 voice chorus chortled and garbled in some kind of CNN-white noise murmur and the lead sang the borrowed poetry, A God as Died...etc.
Boring!
Mozart is awesome dudes, check 'im out!