GIUSEPPE VERDI

THE 31ST LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN EASTER FESTIVAL

Conductor YOEL GAMZOSOPRANO GABRIELA LEGUNMEZZOSOPRAN JASMIN WHITETenor GIOVANNI SALABAS HUBERT KowalczykChoir and Orchestra of the Teatr Wielkiego - National Opera

In the history of interpretation of the works of Giuseppe Verdi, few conductors have written as distinctly as Carlo Maria Giulini (1914—2005). It was under his baton that the legendary performances of Traviata with Maria Callas sounded in Milan's La Scala, Falstaff in Los Angeles or Don Carlos in London's Covent Garden. At the end of his life, however, a special place in the repertoire of the Italian master was occupied by Verdi's Messe da Requiem — a work that became almost his artistic signature. In tribute to his teacher and mentor, Yoel Gamzou will conduct precisely this composition.

The circumstances of its creation were equally personal. In 1868, the death of Gioachin Rossini prompted Verdi to take the initiative of a joint mourning mass written by thirteen Italian composers. The project was not realized, but a fragment composed by Verdi — Libera me — became the nucleus of a new work. The final impetus was brought by the death of Alessandro Manzoni, an outstanding writer whose composer had great respect. The Messa da Requiem sounded for the first time on May 22, 1874, in the Milan church of San Marco, on the anniversary of Manzoni's death, under the baton of Verdi himself.

In the Requiem, Verdi included not only mourning, but also anger, anxiety and rebellion against human fate. Not surprisingly, the dramatic, almost operatic character of the work aroused controversy — religious conservatives admired the musical momentum, but accused the composer of taking too theatrical an approach to the liturgical text. Today, it is this tension that underlies the unique power of the work: from the horror and violence of Dies irae, to the pain-filled Lacrymos, to the poignant clarity of Agnus Dei and Quid sum miser. It is a musical journey between fear, hope and solace.

In the interpretation of this monumental work Yoel Gamzou will be accompanied by soprano Gabriela Legun, mezzo-soprano Jasmin White, tenor Giovanni Sala and bass Hubert Kowalczyk. They will be accompanied by the Choir and Orchestra of the Teatr Wielki — the National Opera, because the musical ritual of memory requires not only great emotions, but also a community of voices.