Verdi's Requiem in San Marco in Milan conducted by Zubin Metha

Written by Natalia Di Bartolo —

– Where the giants come to life –

Milan, September 30, 2015 –

The great are great and that is why when you speak and write, are “simple”.

Read Giuseppe Verdi who writes in first person to Ricordi is always an emotion: «I too would like to demonstrate how much affection and veneration I have brought and still do bring to that great man who is no longer and whom Milan has so worthily honoured. I would like to set to music a Mass for the dead to be performed next year on the anniversary of his death. The Mass would have rather vast proportions, and in addition to a large orchestra and a large choir, it would also take (now I cannot specify them) four or five principal singers». In the writing, dated June 3, 1873, the subject is the great musician, but the subject complement, “that great” is Alessandro Manzoni, who had died in the just ended May 22, 1873.

Manzoni's death had brought about in many feelings of love of the fatherland and freedom that the Risorgimento had been soaked. Greens and Manzoni had lived at the same time, they had met through the Countess Maffei and the genius musician recognized the genius of the great poet with affection and heartfelt reverence,

even with “veneration”.

The “Dead mass” in honor of Alessandro Manzoni, whose manuscript is preserved in the Museo Teatrale alla Scala, Milan, was born in 1874, for orchestra, chorus and four soloists, composed after the great success of Aida and the long period that had seen far from the Opera composer: was “Messa di Requiem”to be precise.

But it was from 1868, when he got the idea to create a Requiem “collective” for Gioachino Rossini, the milanese genius thought of a composition like this. The project, to be carried out in Bologna in 1869, had not gone through, but just from that Mass used his “Libera me Domine” for the new mass. Only In 1875 Verdi would have made a revision to the Liber scriptusby replacing the fugato of the choir with an aria for mezzo-soprano.

It took the permission of then Mayor Giulio Bellinzaghi to implement execution of Requiem in honor of Alessandro Manzoni, which took place, in May 22, 1874 Milan in Chiesa di San Marco, on the occasion of the first anniversary of the death of the writer.

The church of S. Marco in Milan in an ancient engraving — The Church of San Marco in Milan in an antique engraving

The soprano Teresa Stoltz — The soprano Teresa Stolz

The same Greens, on the podium, directed, with the help of four soloists: Teresa Stolz (soprano), Maria Waldmann (mezzo-soprano), Giuseppe Capponi (tenor) and Ormondo Maini (bass), with immense success soon crossed national boundaries. It was a triumph and was immediately revived at La Scala, in Paris, London, Rome, where he was brought to Queen Margrethe; they created a version for piano and wind band. The usual revelers put caricatures and cartoons into circulation with green priest dress.

Since this work of mighty, powerful and sometimes highly personal, unintelligible transcendence is a real pillar in the history of music and it is always a worthy high signal capacities and intentions.

Therefore, the see and especially the repeated listening the 29 and September 30, 2015 in the same St. Mark's Church in Milanwith l’Orchestra and chorus powerful and clean the Teatro alla Scala It turned out to be an historic event and a thrill for everybody, not only for spectators but also to the interpreters.

On the podium the Grand Master Zubin Methaappropriate pulse such verdiana production, now himself a maturity and a “power”, conducting positive sense, perpetrators of which are worth mentioning. He always owned and today, at the age of 79 years one must give him credit. In the inevitable emotion as transposition. Wonderful orchestra galvanized della Scala…just as the choir, directed by Bruno Casoni. Suggestion to all, first soloists.

In that role he was the great Teresa Stoltz, Italian soprano Maria Agresta, fresh from recent success of La Bohème and La Scala right, voice gentle but at the same time knows his stuff about executing a role as that accorded to the Requiem Verdi soprano. More than one spectator is sincerely excited to his “Libera me domine”, poignant, heartfelt beauty.

As effective as the mezzo soprano Anita Rachvelishvili, born to Tibilisi in Georgia, but “music product” high-class all milanese and reduce by the same Requiem and Aida at Salzburg, which did not fail to summoning the glories of Waldmann.

Interesting and gentle tenor Giorgio Bagweclass 1977, pisano, who had addressed the role last may in the Verdi Requiem at the Théâtre des Champs-Elysées in Paris, he rode the wake of Giuseppe Capponi.

Eloquent in its grandeur d high ’ voice down value Carlo Colombara, himself fresh from success in La Bohème and La Scala alongside the A.m and then the Maini Ormondo certainly has kept alive the echoes with personal, emotional participation, in a role that is normal, but no less heartfelt.

No particular problem in the dreaded acoustics of the holy place, or in the aisles of the Church dispersed, but overall casting definitely out of the ordinary, for the authority of the Directorate, the orchestral rendering quality, expertise and choir voices prevail, both in solo parts than together, in a high yield and high cohesion spiritual abstraction.

Overflowing, even in public enthusiasm. An event that has been triumphant success and that definitely will remain engraved in the memory of Milan and not only and will be henceforth as positive an inevitable comparison.