Polish orchestra plays Mozart's Requiem in protest
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A Polish opera house has performed Mozart's Requiem — a funeral piece — in front of the Culture Ministry in Warsaw to protest cuts to its budget.
The Chamber Opera's orchestra, choir and soloists performed Tuesday to the hearty applause of hundreds of people. A large banner saying, "Minister, Only You Can Save the Chamber Opera," hung above the artists.
They handed a ministry official a letter signed by some 20,000 people asking Culture Minister Bogdan Zdrojewski to secure funds for the opera. Otherwise, they say, it will have to close in the summer.
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There was no immediate reply from the ministry, which is instituting cuts as a broader government cost-reduction effort.
The 50-year-old Warsaw-based opera is known for its annual festivals of all of Mozart's opera compositions.