Verdi: Requiem
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Giuseppe Verdi, the voice of the Italian people, is famous for his crowd scenes and melodies that became national heritage. That might not be what you expect from a requiem. And yet Verdi wrote a funeral mass in 1873 that bears his unmistakeable signature. Initially, Verdi and thirteen of his compatriots wanted to write a grand work in memory of Rossini, but this idea petered out. Ultimately, he penned the Messa da Requièm on his own, for an orchestra of 100 musicians and 120 singers, following the death of the Italian writer Alessandro Manzoni. Its surprising rhythmic contrasts, dramatic impact and infectious melodies give the requiem its deserved reputation as an ‘opera disguised as a religious piece’.