24-25 Program Book - Flipbook - Page 66
Messa da requiem (1874)
GIUSEPPE VERDI
(October 9/10, 1813-January 27, 1901)
Giuseppe Verdi was a child prodigy, performing at his
local church before the age of 10 and composing by
his mid-teenage years. His first opera, Oberto, was
completed in 1839 and, after being shopped around,
was finally accepted for performance at La Scala.
From that point on, commissions for operas made
Verdi one of the richest and most famous composers
in the world. He went through four phases in his
career, all identified by the subject matter of his
works: heroic subjects (e.g., Nabucco); personal
“human” stories (e.g., Rigoletto); political themes
with a French grand opera twist (e.g., Don Carlos);
operas based on Shakespeare. Between his third
and fourth phases, he tried to retire from writing operas around 1870. During his
“retirement,” he wrote his most important sacred piece, his Requiem. He singlehandedly transformed Italian opera from a number-based, aria-centric style to
a more continuous, naturally flowing style that allowed characters to be more
natural and realistic in their demeanor, actions, and influence on storylines. His
melodic style and focus on making the voice the dominant element throughout
his career kept his style rooted in Italian tradition, and thus contributed to his
amazing popularity.
When Gioacchino Rossini died in 1868, Verdi suggested that a group of Italian
composers collaborate on a Requiem in Rossini's honor, and began the effort by
submitting a “Libera me.” During the next year, 13 composers wrote music for a
Messa per Rossini. The premiere was scheduled for November 13, 1869, the first
anniversary of Rossini’s death. However, nine days before the premiere, the
concert was abandoned. Verdi blamed the scheduled conductor, Angelo Mariani,
for this, which ended a longtime friendship. He kept toying with his “Libera me,”
however, frustrated that the combined commemoration of Rossini’s life would
not be performed. (The work was not attempted until 1988, when Helmuth Rilling
premiered the complete Messa per Rossini in Stuttgart.)
The eventual inspiration to compose a complete requiem was the death of
Alessandro Manzoni, an Italian poet and novelist Verdi knew and admired. Verdi’s
Requiem was premiered on May 22, 1874, in the church of San Marco in Milan, to
mark the first anniversary of Manzoni’s death, and as a result, the piece is sometimes
referred to as the Manzoni Requiem. It consists of seven larger movements, with
some, especially the Dies Irae having many internal sections as the text expresses
different aspects of death and salvation. The first movement begins ominously,
despondently. Later it becomes almost conciliatory, even resolute. This gives
way to a dramatic outcry for mercy in the Kyrie, first from each soloist, and then
the chorus joins, with increasing intensity as all ask for mercy. This movement
66 CLASSICAL SERIES VERDI’S DEFIANT REQUIEM
