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A Tribute to Verdi Parma
Teatro Regio
10/19/2024 -
Giuseppe Verdi: Messa da Requiem
Roberta Mantegna (soprano), Szilvia Vőrős (mezzo), Fabio Sartori (tenor), Alexander Vinogradov (bass)
Coro del Teatro Regio di Parma, Martino Faggiani (Chorus Master), Filarmonica Arturo Toscanini, James Conlon (conductor)
J. Conlon (© Dan Steinberg for LA Opera)
Verdi’s enduring religious masterwork premiered in 1874, a year after the death of novelist Alessandro Manzoni (1785‑1873), a man he immensely admired. Verdi had earlier considered composing a requiem mass to be performed in 1869 to commemorate the first anniversary of Rossini’s death. That project ultimately involved no less than thirteen composers, Verdi being the most prominent. Among the others were Antonio Bazzini (1818‑1897), Federico Ricci (1809‑1877), Carlo Coccia (1782‑1873) and others now forgotten. In the end, the project didn’t materialize, due to conductor Angelo Mariani’s lack of enthusiasm, thus ending his long collaboration with Verdi. Rediscovered by musicologist David Rosen, the Messa per Rossini premiered in 1988, helmed by the great Helmuth Rilling. Verdi’s contribution was the sublime finale, “Libera me,” later reworked as part of his 1874 masterpiece, Messa da Requiem.
At the height of his career in 1871, and after the premiere of Aida in Cairo, Verdi had announced his intention to retire from composing, which fortunately did not happen (he subsequently wrote his masterpieces Otello and Falstaff in 1887 and 1893). The death of Manzoni in 1873 prompted him to incorporate his “Libera me” into a complete Requiem mass. Three of the four soloists who premiered the Messa da Requiem had sung at La Scala’s premiere of Aida in 1872, indicating Verdi’s intention of using major voices for the work. Indeed, in several passages of this Requiem mass, one hears accents of Aida.
Since its debut, some have argued this work is too operatic to be truly considered sacred. Hans von Bülow, Wagner’s champion and frequent conductor, famously called it “Verdi’s latest opera, though in ecclesiastical robes.” Brahms disagreed, calling it a work of genius. Today, most see it as a sacred work with ostensibly operatic vocal writing. One compelling reason for doubting the work’s religious nature is Verdi’s renowned aversion to the Catholic Church. However, in this he was not alone among artists and intellectuals of the time. It’s true that Verdi had a particular dislike of the clergy and felt judged by them for his living “in sin” with soprano Giuseppina Strepponi for twelve years, until they legally married.
In his opera Aida, Amneris’s famous line “Sacerdoti: compiste un delitto... tigri infami di sangue assetate, voi la terra ed i numi oltraggiate... voi punite chi colpe non ha” (“Oh priests, you have committed a crime...Wicked tigers, thirsting for blood, you have outraged both heaven and earth...you have punished where there is no guilt”) validates that intense aversion to the clergy. However, this son of peasants from deeply Catholic Italy likely maintained some vestiges of faith. Moreover, he was sixty at the time of its composition, an opportunity ripe for reflection on his own mortality that the Requiem afforded him. It is noteworthy that some passages in Verdi’s Requiem are musically reminiscent of that aforementioned scene in Aida as well as the final tomb scene, “La fatal pietra sovra me si chiuse.”
The Messa da Requiem is a regular feature in Parma’s Verdi Festival. However this year is special, as it’s the 150th anniversary of its writing. The cast assembled is, as expected, impressive. Italy’s Roberta Mantegna is an excellent lyric soprano, much in demand at the world’s top opera houses. Heard last season in Donizetti’s Les Martyrs in Vienna, this versatile soprano has a distinctly attractive timbre and her singing is unfailingly expressive. She was captivating in “Libera me,” by turns intense and delicate, conveying the mysterious plight of the soul and its desire for deliverance with aplomb.
In several passages, including the moving “Agnus Dei,” soprano and mezzo are paired extensively. Hungary’s Szilvia Vőrős’s rich, velvety mezzo contrasted beautifully with Mantegna’s. Several sections of her part are reminiscent of Amneris’ in Aida, and can sound inappropriately operatic. This is not surprising, as Aida was then Verdi’s most recent work, and this also explains the blurring of lines between the operatic and the sacred. However, Vőrős managed to instill piety in this segment, wisely avoiding operatic excess.
Fabio Sartori, the tenor, was an ideal choice, thanks to his dramatic voice, blessed with a strong middle register and well-supported high notes. He impressed in “Ingemisco” with his intense passion and expression. Despite his sturdy voice, Sartori can easily soar in the upper register, singing brightly and with great beauty. This movement, showing man’s humility facing God, requires the utmost sensitivity while producing a light timbre, allowing the ethereal majesty of the work to reveal itself. Heard a few years ago in Verdi’s I masnadieri in Milan, his career is possibly hindered by limited acting skills and a lack of agility on stage. Thankfully, these weaknesses are irrelevant in this sacred work.
Russian bass Alexander Vinogradov is well suited for his part thanks to his rich and beautiful timbre and his ability to colour his voice from the solemn in “Mors stupebit et natura”, to the noble and majestic in “Confutatis” and to the terrifying in “Dies iræ.” Some interpret the four voices as the four aspects of humanity: the bass as wisdom, gravitas and judgement; the tenor, conjuring man in his endeavours; the mezzo, conveying love and sensuality; and the soprano, the fragile human soul. It’s clear there is veracity in that interpretation.
American conductor James Conlon led the Filarmonica Arturo Toscanini with brio. He was especially thrilling in the recurring choral movement, “Dies iræ.” He masterfully interpreted the “Sanctus,” an eight‑part fugue for two choirs, possibly the most demanding section. The last movement, “Libera me,” was the glorious dénouement, thanks to Roberta Mantegna’s expressive interpretation. The other star of the performance was the Coro del Teatro Regio di Parma, brilliantly prepared by Martino Faggiani.
This was a stirring interpretation of Verdi’s Requiem as demonstrated by the public’s ecstatically thunderous applause. It was equally a superb tribute to Verdi on the occasion of the 150th anniversary of this glorious mass.
Ossama el Naggar
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