CCSO Classics Series: Verdi Requiem

Guiseppe Verdi was born 200 years ago. His family called him “a man of little faith.” Yet, he composed a requiem in memory of Alessandro Manzoni, a devout Catholic, poet, novelist, national hero… and very dear friend. To thegrief-stricken composer, this Requiem was “a need of the heart.”

In 1941, Nazis transported Czechoslovak composer, pianist and conductor Rafael Schächter to Terezin concentration camp. Hidden within his clothing was his treasured score of Verdi’s Requiem. That day, Schächter became serial number 128. He also became the camp’s conductor and temporary savior. Day of Wrath andDeliver Me took on a new meaning to the Jewish prisoners. It was their anthem of defiance.

In 1997, mourners heard the Requiem at Princess Diana’s funeral. In the wake of the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, many gathered to hear the Requiem in Liberty State park against Manhattan’s “maimed skyline.” This requiem, written for one man, finds a place in the heart and soul of every man. The music is about loss and sorrow. Forgiveness and mercy. Retribution and redemption. Eternal life and everlasting peace. It is not a mass for the dead. It is a mass for the living.

FEATURING
JUNG-HO PAK | CONDUCTOR
RACHELE SCHMIEGE | SOPRANO
KRISTA RIVER | MEZZO SOPRANO
ETHAN BREMNER | TENOR
THOMAS JONES | BARITONE
THE CHATHAM CHORALE JOSEPH MARCHIO, MUSIC DIRECTOR   
THE FALMOUTH CHORALE  JOHN YANKEE, ARTISTIC DIRECTOR

THE PROGRAM
MESSA DA REQUIEM | GUISEPPE VERDI