In 1791 a masked figure knocked at Mozart’s door. He wanted to commission a piece from the great composer – a mass for the dead. There was one condition, Mozart could never know who his client was. Mozart agreed and started work on the piece. But he soon became ill – had he been poisoned? Mozart began to fear he was writing the music for his own funeral. He died before he could finish the piece. Who was the mysterious stranger? And what’s the real story behind Mozart’s Requiem?

Original music was written by Thomas Hewitt Jones (@thewittjones). Tim Lihoreau can be found on Twitter (@TimLihoreau) and the Classic FM team can be found @ClassicFM. You can get in touch about the show at classicfm.com and find out more about this episode at classicfm.com/casenotes

The recordings featured in this episode are:

Mozart: Requiem

Sophie Karthäuser (soprano), Marie-Claude Chappuis (mezzo), Maximilian Schmitt (tenor), Johannes Weisser (baritone); Freiburger Barockorchester, RIAS Kammerchor/René Jacobs

Mozart: The Queen of the Night's aria from The Magic Flute

Sabine Devieilhe, Pygmalion/Raphaël Pichon

Franz Anton Hoffmeister: Symphony in G major 'La festa de la Pace 1791' II. Poco Adagio

London Mozart Players/Matthias Bamert

Mozart: Piano Concerto No.25, III. Allegretto 

Piotr Anderszewski, Chamber Orchestra of Europe

Mozart: Music from The Marriage of Figaro 

Fanie Antonelou (Susanna), Christian van Horn (Figaro); MusicAeterna/Teodor Currentzis

Mozart: La Clemenza di Tito

RIAS Kammerchor, Freiburger Barockorchester/René Jacobs 

Salieri: Sinfonia in D major, 'La Veneziana' III. Presto; La locandiera III. Presto

London Mozart Players/Matthias Bamert