Perhaps the most powerful of all were the two performances given in Berlin’s Philharmonie under conductor Claudio Abbado, with the sombre grandeur of the Berlin Philharmonic (which we named one of the world's best orchestras) at his disposal, three crack choirs, and soloists who, though famous, were not so familiar with the work as to impose their own ideas on it.Īvailable on both DVD/Bluray and CD, it depends on whether you want to see it as well as listening to it. Several were recorded and, not surprisingly, they have an unusual intensity. The best recording of Verdi's RequiemĬlaudio Abbado (conductor) Angela Gheorghiu (soprano), Daniela Barcellona (mezzo), Roberto Alagna (tenor), Julian Konstantinov (bass) Swedish Radio Chorus, Eric Ericson Chamber Choir/Berlin Philharmonic EMI Classics 492 6949 (2001)Īt the end of January 2001 there were performances of Verdi’s Requiem all over the world, to commemorate the centenary of the composer’s death.

One might say, in a hopeless attempt to bring the dispute about Verdi’s Requiem to a close, that it is the converse of Bach’s masterpieces: a theatrical work which is also religious. Such a debate is futile because there is no reason why a theatrical work shouldn’t also be religious, or vice-versa: JS Bach’s Passions are religious works with a strong, even violentdramatic/theatrical element and force. That doesn’t stop the eternal debate about whether it is a theatrical rather than a religious work.

Verdi’s reputation has undergone many rises and falls since the 1870s, but the Requiem has never been out of favour, and continues to be one of the most popular of religious works. Article: The mystery of Mozart's Requiem.Only a genius could have written such a work’.

It still remains primarily a work for the concert stage.įrom the start, the Requiem has divided opinion, with Wagner’s right-hand man Hans von Bülow referring to it as ‘Verdi’s latest opera, though in ecclesiastical robes’, to which Brahms replied ‘Bülow has made a fool of himself. Verdi conducted, and then took the work on tour to various European cities, where he usually conducted it in concert halls – including the Albert Hall in London – rather than churches.

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