Organization

Admin

Sydney Philharmonia Choirs

Conductor

Sam Weller

Singer

Soprano

Mariana Hong

Mezzo-soprano

Anna Dowsley

Tenor

Nick Jones

Bass

David Greco

Messa da Requiem -  (Requiem Mass)

Alexandria

Australia

Messa da Requiem Verdi

Public

Requiem Mass

Cristina Pardo Ramírez

Approved

In this unique pair of performances, Ensemble Apex will perform a contemporary reading of Verdi’s Requiem with members from Sydney Philharmonia Choirs’ VOX and guest principal vocalists.  

Presented by Phoenix Central Park in the modern cathedral of Dangrove, Judith Neilson’s renowned art storage facility in Alexandria, these performances represent the very first opening of the venue’s Great Hall to the public.  

The Requiem Mass (or Messa da Requiem, as it was originally known) has long been a grand gesture reserved for the most important occasions. It serves as a musical atonement for the soul’s movement from earth to heaven.  For a century, Mozart's Requiem Mass was the genre's prevalent archetype — some audiences will recall the scene where a dying Mozart composes his final measures from his bed in Amadeus. That was until 1874, when Italian operatic composer Giuseppi Verdi reinvented the genre with his masterwork of cataclysmic proportions. Premiering in Milan with over 1000 singers and 400 instrumentalists to mark the passing of prolific Italian writer Manzoni, the piece was criticised for being an opera in liturgical robes. A requiem mass, it was supposed, should be solemn — not epic. What Verdi achieved was a rare and masterful combination of operative bravura with his symphonic prowess, his resulting creation one of the most influential pieces of repertoire in the canon.  

These forthcoming concerts will not only offer audiences a sublime evening of Verdi, but also a rare look inside the spectacular and multi-award winning Dangrove building, a working facility which houses Judith Neilson’s globally significant art collection.

English

Requiem Mass by Verdi, From (2022/2022), Conductor Sam Weller

Performance credits (Cast & Crew )

Cast

Programme, About & Synopsis

Photos

Further reading

Performance Dates & Venues

Venues