Known to posterity primarily as an opera composer, Giuseppe Verdi only rarely worked outside the genre of musical dramatic works. One of these unusual forays was the Requiem, whose writing was prompted by two sad events: first by the death of Rossini in 1868, and later by the passing of the Italian national poet, Alessandro Manzoni, in 1873. For a time after Rossini's demise, it appeared that several Italian composers were going to collaborate on a joint work, for which Verdi wrote the Libera me movement. The plan fell through, though, and in the end it would be the death of Manzoni, for whom Verdi had similar respect, that gave the composer the decisive impetus to create the Requiem, now entirely as his own composition. The world première took place on 22 May 1874, the first anniversary of Manzoni's death, at Milan's Church of San Marco, with Verdi himself conducting. The main feature of the Requiem, as well as the source of its impact, is its powerfully dramatic nature and operatic lyricism. The soloists at this concert are all at home on the opera stage. Conductor Giacomo Sagripanti, winner of the 2009 Giuseppe Patanè Conducting Competition, is a regular guest at leading opera houses everywhere from Vienna to London.

Presented by: Hungarian National Philharmonic