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Conductor
Bruno Ferrandis
featuring
Theresa Santiago, soprano
Susan Platts, mezzo-soprano
Richard Clement, tenor
Dean Elzinga, bass baritone
Santa Rosa Symphony Honor Choir
VERDI: Requiem Mass
December 8, 9, 10 , 2007
Wells Fargo Center
$27 - $50
Like the operas for which Verdi is celebrated, and true to the composer’s passionate Italian heritage, Messa da Requiem is full of vigorous rhythms, sublime melodies and powerful contrasts. Imagine the SRS Honor Choir fronted by renowned operatic stars in a complex weaving of themes of life and death. The Requiem is by turns hushed, sorrowful, agitated, consoling, thundering and angelic. So monumental it comprises the entire program for our holiday concert set.
Underwritten by Louise and Don Johnston.
Bruno Ferrandis underwritten by Margaret and Harry Wetzel.
PRESENTED BY THE LAW OFFICES OF |
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Guisepee Verdi: Requiem Mass
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Giuseppe Verdi was born in Le Roncole, near Busseto in the Duchy of Parma, on October 10, 1813, and died in Milan on January 27, 1901. He composed the bulk of the Requiem in 1874. The first performance took place in the church of San Marco in Milan on May 22, 1874, with the composer conducting. The score calls for soprano, alto, tenor, and bass soloists, mixed chorus, two flutes and piccolo, two oboes, two clarinets, four bassoons, four horns, four trumpets, four more trumpets offstage, three trombones, tuba (replacing the obsolete ophicleide), timpani, bass drum, and strings.
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Few Americans know the name Alessandro Manzoni, and fewer still are familiar with his great historical novel, I promessi sposi (The Betrothed). To music lovers the name rings a bell only as the dedicatee of Verdi’s Manzoni Requiem. But to Italians, Manzoni is one of the great central figures of their literary culture; indeed, until very recently (and perhaps even today) it was impossible to obtain admission to an Italian university without passing an examination that included essay questions on two required topics: Dante’s Divine Comedy and Manzoni’s novel.
To Giuseppe Verdi, Manzoni was a personal hero.
As early, as 1840 Verdi set the poet’s Ode Il cinque maggio (The fifth of May), a poetic treatment of Napoleon’s death, and some choruses from his poetic tragedies, though he never published them. He already knew the novel, Manzoni’s greatest work, and one of the masterpieces of world literature, though its definitive revision was not published until 1842. (Readers who lack Italian are strongly encouraged to try the first-rate translation by Bruce Penman, which is available in a Penguin paperback). To Italians, Manzoni’s one novel is the equivalent of our Scott, Thackeray, and Dickens rolled into a single book.
Verdi admired Manzoni both as an artist and as a man. The novelist’s morbid shyness was interpreted by the composer as a dislike of personal publicity and self‑promotion, qualities of which Verdi himself totally approved. But Verdi respected Manzoni’s privacy as much as he wished his own to be respected, and though he and Manzoni had a close friend in common, the Countess Clarina Maffei, he never dared ask for an introduction, even after his wife, Giuseppina Strepponi, had met Manzoni while on a visit to Milan and had carried away with her a photograph of the great man inscribed “to Giuseppe Verdi, a glory of Italy, from a decrepit Lombard writer.” Verdi asked the Countess to tender his gratitude, enclosing a photograph of himself with the inscription, “I esteem and admire you as much as one can esteem and admire anyone on this earth, both as man and a true honor of our country so continually troubled....”
Finally, in the spring of 1868, Verdi visited Milan for the first time in twenty years and through the mediation of the Countess had his one and only visit with his idol. In doing so, Verdi had now met both of the two men that he considered to be Italy’s greatest cultural glory—the other being Rossini, whom he had known in Paris.
The connection in Verdi’s mind is important for the history of the Manzoni Requiem. Rossini died in Paris on September 13, 1868, and Verdi’s sense of loss for Italy’s cultural life was keen. He conceived at once a plan to honor the memory of Rossini by inviting the leading Italian composers to contribute to a special Requiem Mass to be performed just once, on the first anniversary of the composer’s death, in Bologna, Rossini’s “musical home,” after which the score would be sealed up in the archives, to be brought out only at some future time as an occasional tribute. No one would be paid for either the composition or the performance. Though the idea was received enthusiastically, and though Verdi had his portion of the score ready in good time, the scheduled performance never came off owing to difficulties in arranging for performers at the right time and place. Finally the whole affair was given up as a public fiasco, and each composer received his section of the score back. (A recent recording of the “Mass for Rossini,” however, demonstrates that the idea was no bad one, and if the performance had taken place, it would have been a worthy tribute to the master from Pesaro.)
Nearly four years later, Alessandro Manzoni died at the age of eighty‑nine on May 22, 1873. This time Verdi kept his plans secret from all but his publisher Ricordi, to whom he wrote on June 3:
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I would like to compose a Mass for the dead to be performed next year for the anniversary of [Manzoni’s] death. The Mass would have rather vast dimensions, and besides a big orchestra and a big chorus, it would also require…four or five principal singers. Do you think the City [of Milan] would assume the expense of the performance? The copying of the music I would have done at my expense, and I myself would conduct the performance both at the rehearsals and in church. If you believe this possible speak of it to the Mayor; give me an answer as soon as you can, for you can consider this letter of mine as binding. |
The response was enthusiastic, and Verdi set to work. He spared no pains to assure himself that the soloists, chorus, and orchestra were ready for the premiere, which took place in Milan’s Church of St. Mark’s on the anniversary of Manzoni’s death and was repeated three times in La Scala in the following days. The soloists included Teresa Stolz and Maria Waldmann, who had been the original Aida and Amneris in the first Italian production of Verdi’s most recent opera.
The event was a success in every way, reflecting honor on Manzoni, Verdi, the performers, and Milan itself. The only sour note came from complaints that Verdi had not composed ecclesiastical music, that he had composed an operatic score to a Latin text. It is true enough that Verdi’s music does not meet the formal requirements for the musical style and performing forces usually thought of as “church music,” but after all, he did not write the work for ecclesiastical performances, but rather as a grand public tribute. Quite aside from the “inappropriateness” for church use is the fact that Verdi introduced a number of textual repetitions— especially of the Dies irae section—to function as a musical refrain; thus the significance of the changes is artistic rather than ecclesiastical.
It has become conventional to reiterate the bon mot that the Requiem is “Verdi’s greatest opera,” a phrase bearing implicitly the hint of criticism that it shouldn’t be operatic at all, though why this should be so is never made clear. Verdi’s wife, Giuseppina Strepponi, brought her own good sense to bear in a defense of the score:
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I say that a man like Verdi must write like Verdi—that is, according to his own way of feeling and interpreting the text... The religious spirit and the way in which it finds expression must bear the imprint of its time and the individuality of its author. |
Certainly many scenes in Verdi’s operas had dealt with questions of life or death and the emotions that are aroused by these fundamental facts of human existence. Indeed, where could an opera composer hope to find a text that raises the ultimate questions with greater dramatic force than in Thomas of Celano’s twelfth‑century poem, Dies irae, the heart of the Requiem Mass?
Most of the negative criticism of this dramatic treatment of the score arises from a review of sorts printed by Hans von Bülow after the first performance, a “review” written without even hearing the work and filled with bitter invective. The fuss was enough to convince another prominent German musician to study the score himself, and when he did, Johannes Brahms commented, “Bülow has blundered, since this could be done only by a genius.”
The Requiem quickly became so popular in Italy that Verdi had to ask his publisher to take steps to protect the integrity of the work by prohibiting performances in unauthorized arrangements. The composer himself rewrote the Liber scriptus entirely before allowing the Requiem out of his hands. It had originally been a four‑part choral fugue; recast as a mezzo‑soprano solo, it provided much more striking dramatic contrast and a better connection with the sudden return of the Dies irae that follows directly.
Although he was composing a piece that would be performed outside of the theater, Verdi approached the text of the Requiem Mass exactly as he approached any operatic libretto he had ever set: with a careful reading and numerous re‑readings to draw out the passages of the most powerful expressive quality, to find the “parola scenica,” the word or phrase that would unleash his dramatic imagination. This is particularly true of the sequence Dies irae and its many sub‑sections, where an individual word or phrase sometimes becomes the hinge of an entire lengthy passage: the trumpets spreading their call throughout all the earth, the chilling and stupefying confrontation with death, pleas for grace, massive evocations of the heavenly king, alternating and intertwining with heartfelt prayer. Yes, the musical gestures are operatic throughout, but they capture something fundamental in the human reaction to death in the same overtly dramatic way as Medieval frescoes of the Dance of Death and of the Last Judgment which can be seen all over Italy. (Verdi made the acquaintance of Michelangelo’s in Florence and found that master’s masculine sculpture greatly to his taste; it would be tempting to connect the frightful vision of the Dies irae with Michelangelo’s “Last Judgment” in the Sistine Chapel, but that gigantic fresco was not open for public viewing in those days, especially not to someone who, like Verdi, was connected with the government of the united Italy that had taken the temporal power away from the Papacy.
There are connections to opera that are more than stylistic in this score; there is actually an operatic quotation as well, though that fact was not known until very recently. When Verdi’s Don Carlos reached its dress rehearsals at the Paris Opera in March 1867, the five‑act grand opera was discovered to be too long by a quarter of an hour: performances had to end in time for patrons to catch the last trains to the suburbs. As a result Verdi was forced to cut some twenty minutes of prime music from the score. This “lost” music was rediscovered about 1970, when we learned that Verdi, forced to cut a beautiful tenor-baritone duet for Carlos and Philip in his opera, was not willing to let a good piece go to waste; he refined that father‑son duet from the opera and converted it into one of the most hauntingly beautiful passages of the Requiem, the Lacrimosa.
In sum, Verdi’s Manzoni Requiem is more than a tribute to a great author; it encapsulates much of what is characteristic of the Italian spirit. It honors both of Verdi’s cultural heroes, Manzoni in its dedication and origin, Rossini in motifs that recall the earlier composer’s Stabat Mater. And it reaffirms Verdi’s steadfast belief that, to an Italian composer—especially in the time of Wagner’s innovations—orchestral music may be important, but the significance of the voice, of the sung word, remains paramount.
© Steven Ledbetter (www.stevenledbetter.com)
Requiem and Kyrie
Quartet and Chorus
Requiem aeternam dona eis,
Domine; et lux perpetua luceat eis.
Te decet hymnus Deus in Sion;
et tibi reddetur votum in Jerusalem:
exaudi orationem meam;
ad te omnis caro veniet.
Kyrie eleison.
Christe eleison.
Kyrie eleison. |
Grant them eternal rest,
O Lord; and let perpetual light shine upon them.
A hymn to Thee, O God, is fitting in Sion;
and a vow to Thee shall be paid in Jerusalem:
O hear my prayer;
to Thee all flesh shall come.
Lord, have mercy upon us.
Christ, have mercy upon us.
Lord, have mercy upon us. |
Dies irae
Chorus
Dies irae, dies illa
Solvet saeclum in favilla,
Teste David cum Sibylla.
Quantus tremor est futurus,
Quando Judex est venturus,
Cuncta stricte discussurus.
Tuba mirum spargens sonum
Per sepulchra regionum,
Coget omnes ante thronum. |
The day of wrath, that day
the world will dissolve in ash,
as David prophesied with the Sibyl.
What great terror there will be
when the Judge shall have come
to thresh out everything thoroughly.
The trumpet, spreading a wondrous sound
through the tombs of all lands,
will gather everyone before the throne. |
Bass
Mors stupebit et natura,
Cum resurget creatura,
Judicanti responsura. |
Death and nature will be stunned
when creation rises again
to respond to the Judge. |
Mezzo-soprano and Chorus
Liber scriptus proferetur,
In quo totum continetur,
Unde mundus judicetur,
Judex ergo cum sedebit,
Quidquid latet, apparebit:
Nil inultum remanebit. |
A written book will be brought forth
in which is contained everything
for which the world will be judged.
Thus when the Judge takes his seat
whatever was hidden shall appear,
nothing shall remain unpunished. |
Soprano, Mezzo-soprano, Tenor, and Chorus
Dies irae, dies illa
Solvet saeclum in favilla,
Teste David cum Sibylla.
Quid sum miser tunc dicturus,
Quem patronum rogaturus,
cum vix justus sit securus? |
The day of wrath, that day
the world will dissolve in ash,
as David prophesied with the Sibyl.
What shall I, wretch, say then?
to whom may I turn as protector
when even the righteous are scarcely safe? |
Solo Quartet and Chorus
Rex tremendae majestatis,
Qui salvandos salvas gratis,
Salva me, fons pietatis. |
King of fearful majesty,
who freely saves the redeemed,
save me, O Fount of Pity. |
Soprano and Mezzo-soprano
Recordare, Jesu pie,
Quod sum causa tuae viae,
Ne me perdas illa die.
Quarens me, sedisti lassus,
Redemisti crucem passus:
Tantus labor non sit cassus.
Juste Judex ultionis,
Donum fac remissionis
Ante diem rationis. |
Recall, merciful Jesus,
that I was the reason for Thy journey:
do not destroy me on that day.
Seeking me, Thou didst sit down weary,
Thou didst redeem me, having endured the ross:
let not such great pains have been vain.
Just Judge of punishment,
give me the gift of redemption
before the day of reckoning. |
Tenor
Ingemisco tanquam reus,
Culpa rubet vultus meus,
Supplicanti parce, Deus.
Qui Mariam absolvisti,
Et latronem exaudisti,
Mihi quoque spem dedisti.
Preces meae non sunt dignae;
Sed tu bonus fac benigne,
Ne perenni cremer igne.
Inter oves locum praesta,
Et ab haedis me sequestra,
Statuens in parte dextra. |
I groan like a guilty man,
my face blushes with my fault;
spare the suppliant, O God.
Thou who didst absolve Mary [Magdalen],
and hear the prayer of the thief,
hast given hope to me also.
My prayers are not worthy,
but thou, O good one, show mercy,
lest I burn in everlasting fire.
Give me a place among the sheep,
and separate me from the goats,
placing me on Thy right hand. |
Bass and Chorus
Confutatis maledictis,
Flammis acribus addictis,
Voca me cum benedictis.
Oro supplex et acclinis,
Cor contritum quasi cinis:
Gere curam mei finis.
Dies irae, etc. |
When the damned are confounded
and given over to biting flames,
call me with the blessed.
I pray, a suppliant on my knees,
my heart as contrite as ashes:
take into Thy care my ending.
The day of wrath, etc. |
Solo Quartet and Chorus
Lacrimosa dies illa,
Qua resurget ex favilla
Judicandus homo reus.
Huic ergo parce, Deus,
Pie Jesu Domine,
Dona eis requiem. Amen. |
That day is filled with tears
on which the guilty shall rise
again from ashes to be judged.
Therefore spare this one,
O God, merciful Lord Jesus.
Grant them rest. Amen. |
Offertorium
Solo Quartet
Domine Jesu Christe, Rex
gloriae, libera animas omnium
fidelium defunctorum de poenis
inferni, et de profundo lacu;
libera eas de ore leonis,
ne absorbeat eas Tartarus,
ne cadant in obscurum;
sed signifer sanctus Michael
repraesentet eas in lucem sanctam.
Quam olim Abrahae promisisti,
et semini ejus.
Hostias et preces tibi,
Domine, laudis offerimus;
tu suscipe pro animabus illis,
quarum hodie memoriam facimus;
fac eas, Domine, de morte
transire ad vitam.
Quam olim Abrahae promisisti,
et semini ejus. |
Lord Jesus Christ, King
of Glory, deliver the souls of all the
faithful departed from the pains
of hell and from the deep pit:
deliver them from the mouth of the lion,
that Tartarus may not swallow them up,
and they may not fall into darkness,
but may the holy standard‑bearer Michael
bring them into the holy light;
as Thou didst promise of old to Abraham
and to his seed.
We offer Thee, O Lord,
sacrifices and prayers of praise:
receive them on behalf of those souls
whom we commemorate this day.
Grant them, O Lord,
to pass from death to life
as Thou didst promise of old to Abraham
and to his seed. |
Sanctus
Double Chorus
Sanctus, sanctus, sanctus,
Dominus Deus Sabaoth.
Pleni sunt coeli et terra gloria tua.
Hosanna in excelsis.
Benedictus qui venit in nomine
Domini.
Hosanna in excelsis. |
Holy, holy, holy,
Lord God of Sabaoth.
Heaven and earth are full of Thy glory. Hosanna in the highest.
Blessed is he who cometh in the name of the Lord.
Hosanna in the highest. |
Agnus Dei
Soprano, Mezzo-soprano, and Chorus
Agnus Dei qui tollis
peccata mundi, dona eis requiem.
Agnus Dei qui tollis
peccata mundi, dona eis requiem.
Agnus Dei qui tollis
peccata mundi, dona eis requiem sempiternam. |
O Lamb of God, that takest away
the sins of the world: grant them rest.
O Lamb of God, that takest away
the sins of the world: grant them rest.
O Lamb of God, that takest away
the sins of the world: grant them eternal rest. |
Communio
Mezzo-soprano, Tenor, and Bass
Lux aeterna luceat eis Domine,
cum sanctis tuis in aeternum:
quia pius es.
Requiem aeternam dona eis Domine,
et lux perpetua luceat eis
cum sanctis tuis in aeternum,
quia pius es. |
Let everlasting light shine on them, O Lord,
with Thy saints for ever;
for Thou art merciful.
Grant them eternal rest, O Lord,
and let everlasting light shine
upon them with Thy saints for ever;
for Thou art merciful. |
Libera me
Soprano and Chorus
Libera me, Domine, de morte
aeterna in die illa tremenda,
quando coeli movendi sunt et
terra, dum veneris judicare
saeculum per ignem.
Tremens factus sum ego,
et timeo, dum discussio
venerit atque ventura ira,
quando coeli movendi sunt et terra.
Dies irae, dies illa
calamitatis et miseriae,
dies magna et amara valde.
Requiem aeternam dona eis, Domine,
et lux perpetua luceat eis.
Libera me, etc. |
Deliver me, O Lord, from death
eternal on that awful day
when the heavens and earth shall be moved:
when Thou shalt come to judge
the world by fire.
I am seized with trembling,
and I fear the time when the trial shall
approach, and the wrath to come:
when the heavens and the earth shall be moved.
A day of wrath, that day
of calamity and woe,
a great day and bitter indeed.
Rest eternal grant them, O Lord,
and may light perpetual shine upon them.
Deliver me, O Lord, etc. |
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