The Auckland Philharmonia performs Verdi’s Requiem - epic in scale and a thrilling journey of intense human emotion; sorrow, desire, anger, fear; as dramatic as any opera.
Soloists Erika Grimaldi, Olesya Petrova, Gustavo Porta and Petri Lindroos Photo: Adrian Malloch, courtesy of APO
Verdi had proposed the creation of a multi-composer project to honour Rossini to be performed on the anniversary of Rossini’s death. He was planning to compose the final movement of the work, the ‘Libera me’, himself.
But this ambitious project never came to fruition. Instead, five years later, Verdi decided to compose the full requiem mass by himself for his favourite Italian writer Alessandro Manzoni. When he heard of Manzoni’s death, Verdi was inconsolable and couldn’t attend the funeral but he dedicated his requiem to the writer’s memory.
On the anniversary of Manzoni's death a year later, Verdi conducted the first performance of his Requiem at the inconspicuous church of San Marco in Milan. Because of its enormous success, it was repeated at La Scala and Verdi toured it around Europe. His contemporaries were rather sniffy about it, calling it "opera in ecclesiastical dress", but the Requiem is now one of the absolute favourite religious works.
The melodies are transcendent and vigorous rhythms communicate powerful emotions; the famous ‘Dies irae’ with its hammer strokes from the timpani and bass drum introduces the traditional sequence of the Latin funeral rite repeated all through the work.
Recorded by RNZ Concert in Auckland Town Hall, 7 July 2022
Producer: Tim Dodd
Engineer: Adrian Hollay
The Auckland Philharmonia, soloists and choir perform Verdi's Requiem in the Auckland Town Hall Photo: Adrian Malloch, courtesy of APO
