Verdi’s Requiem is a famous choral funeral mass based on the text of the traditional Roman Catholic Mass for the Dead.
Death Becomes a Requiem
Verdi proposed that a group of Italian composers writer a requiem in honor of Gioachino Rossini’s death in 1868. Verdi wrote the final movement Libera me (Free me), but nothing came of the project.
After the death of Italian writer Alessandro Manzoni, Verdi proceeded to write a requiem for Manzoni. Verdi included a revised version of Libera me.
Most of the text is based on the Roman Catholic Mass for the Dead, but it also includes a middle passage based on a poem by Franciscan monk Thomas of Celano. The poem evokes the horror of hell and strikes a fear of judgement day.
Verdi’s Requiem premiered at the Church of San Marco in Milan, Italy in 1874.
Verdi’s Requiem 2017
James Levine conducts the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and Chorus with four soloists four times this season between Friday, November 24 and Saturday, December 2, 2017.
The soloists are:
- Bulgarian soprano Krassimira Stoyanova
- Russian mezzo-soprano Ekaterina Semenchuk
- Latvian tenor Aleksandrs Antonenko
- Italian bass Ferruccio Furlanetto
Verdi’s Requiem November 2017
Friday, November 24 at 8 pm
Monday, November 27 at 7:30 pm
Wednesday, November 29 at 7:30 pm
Verdi’s Requiem December 2017
Saturday, December 2 at 1 pm
Verdi’s Requiem Tickets
Tickets start at $25
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