Bellezza (Beauty) admires herself in the mirror, but knows that her beauty will one day pass. Piacere (Pleasure) tries to cheer her up, promising her eternal beauty if she remains only faithful to pleasure. Bellezza promises never to leave her, or else to accept severe punishment. Piacere warns of the destructive power of useless worry, but now Tempo (Time) and Disinganno (Disillusion) get involved in the conversation. Together they seek to explain the ephemeral nature of beauty, which quickly wilts like a blossom.
Claudio Abbado leads the Berlin Philharmonic and the Swedish Radio Choir in a performance of Mozart's Requiem at the Salzburg Cathedral to commemorate the 10th anniversary of renowned Austrian conductor Herbert Von Karajan's death. Featuring soloists Rachel Harnisch, Karita Mattila, Sara Mingardo, Bryn Terfel and Michael Schade, this solemn evening is a fitting tribute to one of the 20th century's most influential musical personalities. Live from Salzburg Cathedral on July 16th, 1999.
Mozart did not write the Requiem as despairing funeral music for his impending death. Rather, the piece proclaims eternal light and redemption. Together with a first-class quartet of soloists, the choirs of the Bavarian and Swedish radios and the distinguished musicians of the Lucerne Festival Orchestra, Claudio Abbado uncovers this more hopeful and forgiving essence of the Requiem