Austin Opera: Verdi’s Requiem
Written by Verdi in Latin, his 1874 Requiem is widely regarded as a transcending masterpiece, but it certainly not an opera in the traditional sense of singers acting out a theatrical production. Like Handel’s Messiah (which no one terms an opera), the Requiem consists of a large chorus and a select group of solo singers. This is, therefore, a considerable departure for Austin Opera.
Essentially a funeral Mass for the dead, this Requiem is one in a long line of famous Requiems. In an online chat posted on YouTube, Charles D. Carson, associate professor of musicology at UT Austin put it in context by listing the most famous examples of this musical genre: Ockeghem (1400s); Mozart (1791); Cherubini (1816), which influenced Verdi; Berlioz (1837); Brahms (1868); Fauré (1888) and Britten (1962).
The immediate spur for Verdi to write the Requiem was the death of his musical hero Rossini in 1868. Carson said the piece exemplifies “the hopes and dreams of the Italian nation that Verdi loved so much.” The Kingdom of Italy was new, having been formed in 1861, based on the Italian language created by Dante in the early 14th century.
As a joke, scholars often refer to this piece as “Verdi’s greatest opera?” But, said Carson, “no one has criticized it as a powerful and profound sacred statement. It is both sacred and dramatic, but it is not narrative.”
Conductor Timothy Myers said on a separate video on Youtube that the Requiem has only 750 words, compared to the libretto for Verdi’s Aida, which has 6,000. “He has to express a lot of things with very little text, and it’s still 85 minutes long. There are points where it’s very clear to me that the bass introduces something terrifying and the rest of the chorus is pleading against this: there is a great tension.”
The key word to keep in mind when listening to the Requiem is ‘terror.’ If you ever wondered what it would be like to be subjected to a sermon on good old-fashioned fire & brimstone, this is your treat. “The trumpet, scattering a wonderous sound through the sepulchres of the regions, will summon all before the throne.” At the Long Centre, the trumpets were placed in the balconies on either side of the stage. They herald this ‘wondrous sound’ and Verdi’s greatest statement of all to describe the Last Judgement: “Death and Nature Shall Stand Amazed.” The walls of the Long Centre shook, and I was half expecting the pit to burst forth in both fire and brimstone. No piece of music has ever achieved this level of shattering doom; quite timely, as we now witness the death of the Republic.
Solo cast (l to r in photo): Leah Crocetto (soprano), Renee Tatum (mezzo-soprano), Limmie Pulliam (tenor), Wei Wu (bass)
A great credit is due to Austin Opera for bringing this music to the stage in our city. It was a superb performance on all fronts: the Austin Opera Orchestra & Chorus, and the four soloists.
Photo by C. Cunningham