Messa per Rossini: A Requiem by Verdi and 12 Other Composers in Memory of Rossini

by Riccardo Chailly

Overview

When Gioachino Rossini died in 1868, Giuseppe Verdi proposed to his publisher that a group of Italy's top composers get together to write a requiem mass in his honor. Verdi himself contributed the concluding "Libera me," a powerful first draft for the parallel section in his own "Requiem" a few years later. One thing that's striking about the rest of the roster is that all are almost completely unknown today; the few other big names of the day did not participate (the aging Saverio Mercadante turned Verdi down, while Amilcare Ponchielli and Arrigo Boito had not yet really made their reputations). Even more striking is the high quality of most of the music. The initial performance was shelved, apparently due to Verdi's lack of follow-up, and to squabbling among the lesser principals, but inferior music doesn't seem to have contributed to this. Yes, the Verdi "Libera me" stands head and shoulders above the rest, but any number of the other sections, if heard alone and without context, might make you wonder which early Verdi opera they came from. Many, naturally enough, are conceived of as little operatic arias or scenes, and the composers achieve structures that are distinct from Verdi's even if less intense. Sample the "Lux aeterna" of Teodulo Mabellini (who ended up leading a males-only performance of Mozart's "Requiem in D minor, K. 626," at Santa Croce after the Verdi project fell through), with its vivid realization of the appearance of perpetual light. The work has been recorded once before, by historical-instrument specialist Helmuth Rilling, but it benefits from the approach of conductor Riccardo Chailly and the Coro e Orchestra del Teatro alla Scala, who grasp the dramatic quality of most of the pieces. The singers will not set the stage on fire, and the boxy La Scala sound is typical of the venue. But this is certainly recommended to anyone interested in Verdi and his milieu.

Product Details

Release Date:	12/21/2018
Label:	Decca
UPC:	0028948340842
catalogNumber:	002942902
Rank:	158344

Tracks

1. Libera me, for soprano, chorus & orchestra (part of collaborative Requiem for Rossini)
2. Lux aeterna, for tenor, baritone, bass & orchestra (for Requiem for Rossini)
3. Agnus Dei, for alto & orchestra (for Requiem for Rossini)
4. Sanctus for 2 choruses & 2 organs
5. Offertorio, for soprano, alto, tenor, baritone, bass, chorus & orchestra (for Requiem for Rossini)
6. Lacrimosa
7. Confutatis
8. Ingemisco, for tenor, chorus & orchestra (for Requiem for Rossini)
9. Recordare Jesu, for soprano, alto, baritone, bass & orchestra (for Requiem for Rossini)
10. Quid sum miser, for soprano, alto & orchestra (for Requiem for Rossini)
11. Tuba mirum, for baritone, chorus & orchestra (for Requiem for Rossini)
12. Dies Irae, for chorus & orchestra (for Requiem for Rossini)
13. Requiem e Kyrie, for chorus & orchestra (for Requiem for Rossini)

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Riccardo Chailly   Primary Artist