An evening of music by Brahms and Mozart that explores some of the most timeless human themes.

Royal Choral Society

London Mozart Players

Richard Cooke conductor

Brahms Schicksalslied

Mozart Symphony No. 39 in E-flat, K. 543

Mozart Mass in C minor, K. 427

Through moments of introspection, exuberance, and reverence, they reflect on fate, joy, faith, and love with depth and honesty.

Brahms’ Schicksalslied (Song of Destiny) begins with music that feels like a sunrise over still waters—calm, luminous, and serene. But then, a storm arrives. The music darkens, swells, and crashes, expressing the uncertainty of human life below. It’s a work of emotional depth and poetic power that captures the tension between fate and hope with soul-stirring beauty. 

By contrast Mozart’s Symphony No 39 shimmers and sparkles with elegance and wit. From the sweeping opening to the jubilant finale, it is bursting with the joy of simply being alive and a reminder of Mozart’s unmatched ability to lift the human spirit.

From the very first notes, Mozart’s magnificent Great Mass in C Minor commands attention. It was written not by commission, but by choice - the fulfillment of a promise to his new wife Constanze, who sang the soprano solo at its first performance. It is one of Mozart’s most personal and profound creations, what Albert Einstein called his “coming to terms with God and his art.” Soaring solos and powerful choruses create moments of almost operatic grandeur, which in turn give way to passages of serene, contemplative beauty. It is a work where faith, love, and artistry converge in music that is mighty, moving and enduringly beautiful.