Verdi - Requiem

Verdi composed the Requiem in honor of the Italian novelist and poet Alessandro Manzoni, author of 'The Betrothed' (I Promessi Sposi), whom Verdi deeply revered. Manzoni died in 1873, and the Requiem was first performed on the first anniversary of his death, May 22, 1874, at the Church of San Marco in Milan.

The Requiem is famous for its dramatic intensity—the 'Dies irae' sequence features thunderous timpani and brass fanfares that sound more like an opera climax than church music. Critics at the time, including Hans von Bülow, criticized it as 'an opera in ecclesiastical dress,' though Bülow later retracted his criticism after hearing it performed.

The 'Libera me' is the final movement, featuring soprano soloist and chorus in one of the most demanding and dramatic passages of the entire work. Verdi had actually written an earlier version of this movement in 1868 as part of a collaborative Requiem for Rossini that was never performed in his lifetime.

Verdi himself conducted the first performance on May 22, 1874, at the Church of San Marco in Milan. The soloists included soprano Teresa Stolz, who had previously performed in Verdi's operas and was closely associated with the composer.