The Requiem, a masterpiece by Giuseppe Verdi, will be performed this Saturday, September 13th at 9 p.m. at the Théâtre de Verdure. The popularization of classical music (“serious music” as it is called across the Atlantic) also involves innovative ideas and non-traditional gestures.
Not sure if Verdi, who was known to be irritable, would have appreciated his masterpiece composition ending up in an unsuitable venue, sung under the stars.
Can you imagine the finale with the “libera me” whispered, both consoling and jubilant… with the background noise of a roaring engine passing by the road adjacent to the Théâtre de Verdure?
Popularization has its price…
For this exceptional concert, four internationally renowned soloists will join the Nice Philharmonic Orchestra and the Nice Opera Choir under the direction of Philippe Auguin.
This free concert in the city is scheduled with the aim of bringing the citizens of Nice closer to the musicians of the Nice Philharmonic Orchestra and the choristers of the Opera.
Messa da Requiem by Giuseppe Verdi (more commonly known as Verdi’s Requiem) is a requiem mass for soloists (soprano, mezzo-soprano, tenor, and bass), double choir, and orchestra, created on May 22, 1874.
After achieving success with the opera Aida, Verdi composed the Messa da Requiem in memory of his compatriot, the poet Alessandro Manzoni, who died in 1873 and who, like him, was committed to Italian unity. Verdi offered to the municipality of Milan the composition of a mass in his honor, hence the original title of Manzoni’s Requiem.
The premiere took place on the first anniversary of Manzoni’s death on May 22, 1874, in the Church of San Marco in Milan under the direction of the composer himself. The Requiem was received with great enthusiasm, and three more performances were held at La Scala.
