# First violin differs in Lacrimosa - Mozart Requiem K626



## Oortone (Mar 27, 2013)

I noticed there are differences in the first violin in the Lacrimosa of Mozart's Requiem with some conductors.
So while these all performs the version I'm used to:
Karajan
Giulini
Abbado
Marriner

These two does not, already in the 3rd bar where the chorus enters, the first violin does not play the same line as the others.
Bernstein
Welser-Möst

So why is this? I know Mozart's hand only wrote the first bars and Süssmeyer finished it but looking at the first edition (1800) and also the revised version (1812) as can be found on IMSLP seems like Karajan et. al plays that version.

I can't find any info about this difference. I know there are other versions of the parts Mozart didn't finish but these usually differ much more. This is such a small difference that I'm curious of where Bernstein and Welser-Möst (and possibly others) "found" this version.


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## Oortone (Mar 27, 2013)

As it happens I found the liner notes to the Bernstein recording and it turns out it's a revision by Franz Beyer from the 1970's which is supposed to correct many of Süssmeyers presumed mistakes and "inauthentic touches". So I guess there are many more differences than the Lacrimosa to the traditional version.
Franz Beyer, Who Revised Mozart’s Requiem, Is Dead at 96

In the case of the Lacrimosa I think I find the 1st violin of the traditional version more balanced so why Beyer's take should be more authentic I don't know. In the traditional version there's a jump between high and low pairs of 8th notes (like in the instrumental beginning which Mozart wrote) but this is broken on Beyer's version. I don't find that to be an improvement. But perhaps there are improvements elsewhere. I need to listen more carefully.


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