Throughout the work, Verdi uses vigorous rhythms, sublime melodies, and dramatic contrasts—much as he did in his operas—to express the powerful emotions engendered by the text. The terrifying (and instantly recognizable) Dies irae that introduces the traditional sequence of the Latin funeral rite is repeated throughout for a sense of unity, which allows Verdi to explore the feelings of loss and sorrow as well as the human desire for forgiveness and mercy found in the intervening movements of the Requiem.
bleatmop
Mystro
Dead Wild Roses 
1 comment
November 14, 2011 at 10:09 am
The Intransigent One
This piece has a special place in my heart because I’ve been in it (not this particular recording), my first time ever on the stage of our city’s fabulous concert hall and my first time with a real professional orchestra. The highlight for me in that performance was the bass drum. Apparently one wasn’t enough, and having two people playing two of them would run the risk of not being perfectly in time with eachother, so one drummer held a stick in each hand and beat a drum on either side of him. I would almost have given up being in the choir to have gotten to do that. Almost.
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