Home /  October 11, 2023 | 19:30 (Wed) - Giuseppe Verdi: Messa da...
October11 2023 (Wed)
7:30 PM

Giuseppe Verdi: Messa da Requiem

Czech National Symphony Orchestra

Municipal House - Smetana Hall | Classical Music

80 minutes | Not available

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Date: October 11, 2023 | 19:30 (Wed)
Venue: Municipal House - Smetana Hall
Duration: 80 minutes
Status: Not available
Reviews: (2)
Group discount 10+ people
Ticket in your mobile device accepted

Aside from Verdi's operatic works, Requiem ranks among one of his finest creations

Italy’s most celebrated composer Giuseppe Verdi (1813-1901) lived a long and drama packed life; after all it was a time of revolution in Italy and he did not shy away from getting involved. His extensive operatic works likely make him the most widely performed composer on global stages. Writing his first opera (Oberto) at 26 years of age, he soon became a highly celebrated composer. Who isn’t familiar with Nabucco, Rigoletto, Troubadour, La Traviata, Un ballo in maschera, la forza del destino, Aida, Les vêpres siciliennes? This, as historians like to recall, was the same man who was refused admission by the Milan Conservatory owing to a lack of talent. And fans may also remember that after his death (January 27, 1901), the acclaimed Italian conductor Arturo Toscanini paid tribute to him in Milan's La Scala with a wonderful concert in front of the royal family, who along with the audience, rose to sing the world’s most famous chorus together with the choir "Va, pensiero".

The enormously melodious music, and the fact that the composer perfectly understood the demands of his singers, make Verdi’s operas highly popular and sought after. He chose  such dramatic librettos, which reflected the zeitgest in the country, while he also admired heroes who “lead by the heart”. Requiem was written in memory of the poet and playwright, Alessandro Manzoni, whose work Verdi greatly admired. The funeral mass was played in the church of San Marco in Milan to mark the first anniversary of the poet’s death on 22nd May 1874. Verdi conducted and Tereza Stolz sang the soprano part. Other performances followed in Milan, Paris, London, and Vienna. In 1876 Requiem was also performed at The German Theatre in Prague.

The funeral mass is split up in the same way as a traditional ritual ceremony with the exception of placing the Requiem before the Kyrie, followed by the Dies irae, which paints an apocalyptic picture of doom. It is in this part of the work, where Verdi’s dramatic force is shown in its full glory: assailing, predatory music, allowing us to ingest the fumes and fire, catastrophe and fear, which at once also spells out a big warning for all evil-doers. Other parts (Sanctus and Libera me) however point to the composer's compositional mastery of fugue. The esprit of the choir excels at the end of Dies irae and in Lacrymosa, reminding us of what we know so well from Verdi's operas. 

Program:

  • Giuseppe Verdi – Messa da Requiem

Performing:

Czech National Symphony Orchestra
Marcello Rota -  conductor
Czech Philharmonic Choir of Brno
Petr Fiala - choir master
Erika Grimaldi - soprano
Piero Pretti - tenor
Elena Belfiore - mezzosoprán
Alessio Cacciamani - bas

Important: 

  • No intermission
  • Dress code: smart casual 

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