Giuseppe Verdi grew up in the impoverished Po Valley area of Italy. His father was an innkeeper in a small village. The young Giuseppe showed talent for music, and despite the family’s lack of funds, a spinet piano was purchased, and lessons were acquired for the lad. A family friend and music enthusiast, Antonio Barezzi took Verdi into his home to further his education and provided funds for study in Milan. Unfortunately, Verdi was too old for admission into the Milan School, so private music lessons were arranged with Vincenzo Lavigna, an associate for the La Scala Opera. Verdi spent several years under Lavigna, setting the groundwork for a future of successful opera productions.
In 1840, Verdi’s young wife, the daughter of his financier Antonio Barezzi, died after the deaths of two infant children. The loss of his children and wife propelled Verdi into a depression which only music could pull him from. Verdi filled the void with composition, and the next year he had his first success with the premier of Nabucco a telling of the Biblical king, Nebuchadnezzar. The well-known chorus of the Hebrew slaves, “Va, Pensiero” was a smash hit and later became the rallying cry for Italian patriots who sought independence from foreign control of their homeland in the 1850s. Over the years, Verdi became the leading voice in Italian opera with productions of Rigoletto, Il Trovatore, La Traviata, La Forza del Destino, Aida, and countless others.
The leading Italian opera composer preceding Verdi was Gioachino Rossini. When Rossini died in 1868, Verdi gathered other fellow Italian composers together to co-compose a Requiem Mass in honor of Rossini. Verdi wrote the concluding movement, “Libera Me.” The other composers were not as enthusiastic, and the hired conductor was not well-prepared, so the entire idea was scrapped soon before the scheduled premiere. A few years later, the Italian writer, Alessandro Manzoni died in 1873. Verdi greatly admired Manzoni and his work, so Verdi resolved to revisit composing a Requiem completely of his own doing. The resulting work took most of a year to complete, and incorporated a reworked version of the previous “Libera Me.”
The premiere took place on the one-year anniversary of Manzoni’s death in 1874. At its premiere the work was criticized as being to operatic and not dignified for a church ceremony. This criticism has not lasted as audiences adore the immensity of the score along with four soloists, the large chorus, and additional brass instruments required to perform the piece. The Requiem is quite dramatic in similar style to his numerous operas. One could almost view the Requiem as a dramatic non-staged opera.
A recurring theme in Verdi’s operas is the individual’s struggle with the oppressing forces around them. The Requiem follows this theme as Verdi pits the departed with the struggles of life and fighting nature and death itself. The opening movement begins rather dignified and hushed. The chorus enters with a chant-like prayer of rest for the departed. The tranquility is temporarily interrupted by unaccompanied chorus for God to hear their prayer. The soloists enter in canon with the Kyrie and Christe tests asking for mercy.
The well-known “Dies Irae” movement vividly displays the end of the world as the judgement day leaves everything in ashes. The mezzo soprano solo pleads for mercy and forgiveness. The tenor solo pleads to be spared and separated from the evil ones. The movement ends with hope for the forgiven souls and a request for eternal rest.
Four shorter movements follow, beginning with the brief “Offertorio” section praising God and offering sacrifices and prayers to save the departed song by the soloists only. The “Sanctus” for double chorus is a splendid double fugue sanctifying the holiness of God. The “Agnus Dei” includes the beautiful duet of the women soloists acknowledging the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. “Lux aeterna” features the lower three solo voices.
The concluding movement returns to the dramatic with a soprano recitative at the beginning with a chorus chant following. The text pleads for our own souls, not just those of the departed, and we are reminded of the day of judgement with the return of the forceful music from the second movement. This challenging movement is a tour de force for the soprano and chorus. Another fugue appears on the test, “deliver me from death on the dreadful day.”
Despite it being highly difficult to perform in a church setting, the Requiem has been performed several times in honor of the deceased. The Metropolitan Opera performed it on the 20th anniversary of the September 11 attacks, and the final movement was excerpted in 1997 for Princess Diana’s funeral. It was also reportedly performed in condensed versions by imprisoned Jews in concentration camps during the Second World War. Whether it is performed as a mass for the dead, or for a concert, Verdi’s Requiem remains a concert-goers favorite.
-Program Notes by Kevin Lodge