Mozart Great Mass in C Minor; Ave Verum Corpus; Exsultate Jubilate

This performance of Mozart's Great Mass in C minor, which remained an unfinished torso, is reverent and highly dramatic. It was filmed 4-6 April 1990 in the beautiful Baroque Basilica of Waldsassen in Bavaria: a few kilometers from the Czech border. It was filmed just a few months after the Iron Curtain had fallen, a mere 6 months before Bernstein's death on 14 October 1990. His painful, labored breathing is evident during this performance. It is a sad reminder of what is to come and it makes this performance, so other-worldly in many ways, particularly poignant. Bernstein conducts the splendid Chor und Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks.

Directed by Humphrey Burton, Mozart Great Mass in C Minor; Ave Verum Corpus; Exsultate Jubilate leans on a strong ensemble — Leonard Bernstein, Arleen Augér, Frank Lopardo — to carry a story that balances spectacle with character.

The film landed with audiences for its craft and performances, and remains one of the most talked-about music titles of 2006.