Verdi's REQUIEM

Friday the 20th was the day of the Choral Union and Madison Symphony Orchestra's performance of Verdi's Famous Requiem.  My brother and I were up in the front row of the fourth balcony, but we were also on the far right, so I had to lean in order to see the performers well enough.  There are four soloists who sing in the Requiem: a soprano, a mezzo-soprano, a tenor, and a baritone.   
The Program is as follows:
Introit and Kyrie: This section begins the piece.  It is sung by the soloists and chorus together.  They start very quiet singing "Requiem aeternam dona eis, Domnie" (Grant them eternal rest, oh LORD), and "Kyrie eleson" (Have mercy on us, oh LORD).  The choir sang this one very well.

Dies Irae:
Without a doubt the most famous piece of this work.  This section takes up half the work.  Is is cut and divided into many parts (no doubt because of the length).  The part of this section that made me nervous was the loud bass drum part.  While my brother said that I was silly to have been frightened by the Dies Irae, I'm assuming that you have to be frightened by it; otherwise the piece doesn't work.  But I was frightened by it, so that means that the performers did their job correctly. 
       The only well known part of this section that is not the terrifying "Day of Wrath" passage is the tenor aria Ingemisco.  This was the first time I heard the aria sung by a tenor who was not Luciano Pavarotti.  I thought this singer was quite amazing in the way he sang it.  There is so much more to this piece including, a lovely arietta for the baritone (which he sang wonderfully), but I don't have much in the way of words to describe it. 

Offertory: Sung by all four soloists, this section is all about offering prayers to the LORD in hopes that he may have mercy on the faithful souls on Judgement Day.  The mezzo, tenor, and baritone sang through the first half, with the soprano entering when she sings the words "Sed signifer sanctus Michael repraesentet eas in lucem sanctum" (But may the holy standard bearer Michael show them the holy light).  The soloists sang perfectly during that passage. 


Sanctus: The celebratory part of the Reqiuem.  The Sanctus is simply where the choir sings "Sanctucs, Sanctus, Santucs, Domine Deus Sabaoth" (Holy, Holy, Holy, God Almighty).  This is sung in a more major key is is all about praises to God for who he really is. 

Angus Dei: A beautiful duet for soprano and mezzo and amazingly sung by our soprano and and mezzo that night.  They sing "Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi" (Lamb of God, who taketh away the sins of the world).  This is a prayer to Jesus to grant rest to the souls of the dead.

Lux Aeterna: A trio for mezzo, tenor, and baritone and well done by all three at the performance.  "Lux aeterna luceat eis" (Let eternal light shine upon them).  This is a prayer for God's favor to be on the souls of the faithful. 


Libera Me: While this is usually not the last part of a Requiem, for this one, it is.  This one is a lot like the "Infamatus" from Rossini's Stabat Mater; namely it is an aria for the soprano in which the chorus features very prominently.  The soprano sings "Libera me, Domine, de morte aeterna" (Deliver me, LORD, from eternal death).  And this brings back the Dies Irae, which is a part of of the Libera Me in the first place.  This song is a plea to the LORD to remember the soul of the individual on the Day of Judgement.  Towards the end of this part the soprano singing high B-flat, as if it is the soul's knowledge that it will be delivered from damnation on that day.  The work concludes with a quiet and personal plea for salvation.  

The only major concern I had about the performance was the fact that the orchestra sometimes played so loud that I couldn't hear the singers.  But other than that, the performanc went over very well.  I wonder if they'll be doing it again next year.