Considered one of the most operatic and beautiful ecclesiastical works of the classical canon, Giuseppe Verdi's monumental Requiem will be performed by the Detroit Symphony Orchestra and the University Musical Society Choral Union as one of the highlights of the DSO's new 2007-08 classical season.
The performances, conducted by Houston Symphony Music Director Hans Graf, will feature four renowned vocal soloists: soprano Indra Thomas, mezzo soprano Molly Fillmore, tenor Anthony Dean Griffey and bass Mikhail Svetlov. The concerts take place in Orchestra Hall at the Max M. Fisher Music Center on Thursday, October 11 at 8 p.m.; Friday, October 12 at 8 p.m.; Saturday, October 13 at 8:30 p.m.; and Sunday, October 14 at 3 p.m.
The Friday night performance of Verdi's Requiem will be the first in the DSO's 2007-08 "Unmasked" concerts, the DSO's "revealing" series designed to break with tradition by introducing video screens and informal dialogue from the artists to the audience. These concerts engage the audience, offer meaningful insight into the programs, and present a question and answer session with the artists after each performance combining technology and a casual setting. This year all four "Unmasked" concerts will be hosted by CBC radio's Tom Allen, host of the popular "Morning and Company.
Verdi's Requiem is a musical setting of the Roman Catholic funeral Mass that was completed to mark the first anniversary of the death of Alessandro Manzoni, an Italian poet and novelist much admired by the composer. Verdi had originally planned to complete a Requiem mass upon the death of the famous Italian opera composer Gioachino Rossini. He had suggested that a number of Italian composers collaborate on the piece but it never come to fruition. When Manzoni passed, Verdi was again inspired to compose a mass, this time by himself. "It is a heartfelt impulse, or rather a necessity, to do all in my power to honor this great spirit whom I valued so highly as a writer and venerated as a man." The premiere took place in Milan's Basilica of San Marco on the first anniversary of Manzoni's death. It was an immediate success and was repeated three further times in Milan and then traveled throughout Europe, often with Verdi conducting. The style of the Requiem has received much attention, with critics immediately assailing Verdi for producing nothing more than an opera in disguise. However, it has gone on to be hailed as one of the greatest masterpieces in the history of orchestral and choral music.
Known for his intensely musical interpretations of a wide ranging repertoire and creative programming, Hans Graf is the 15th music director of the Houston Symphony, a post he assumed on Opening Night of the 2001-2002 season. Recently, Graf completed tenures as music director of the Calgary Philharmonic and the Orchestre National Bordeaux Aquitaine. In 1975-76, Graf was music director of the Iraqi National Symphony Orchestra in Baghdad.
TICKETS for the DSO's Classical Series concerts range in price from $20 to $71 (a limited number of box seats are available for $65 to $123). -- www.detroitsymphony.com
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