Although Requiem was a religious work, it was presented more in concert halls than in churches. Giuseppe Verdi wrote the famous Requiem in honour of his close friend, Alessandro Manzoni, the great Italian poet, writer, and humanist, who died in 1873. It is a powerful fusion of intense drama and passion, with moments of reverent simplicity. Verdi conducted the first performance at St. Mark's Church in Milan on May 22, 1874, the first anniversary of Manzoni's death. Revolutionary composition Verdi's Requiem has been revolutionary in two respects: First, because while the traditional requiem is a prayer of the living for the dead, Verdi's work was a function as much for the living as for the dead. As Verdi would expect, it's a dramatic, theatrical play. Written for four solo voices (soprano, mezzo-soprano, tenor and bass) with full choir and orchestra, it follows the typical Roman Catholic Latin mass for the dead. The "libretto" certainly comes from the dram
Maurice Ravel - Piano Concerto in G major
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The Piano Concerto in G major was composed between 1929 and 1931. Ravel was ill at the time and did not perform at the premiere himself, although he conducted the orchestra. Ravel claimed that the work was composed in the manner of Mozart and Saint-Saëns, although influences from Stravinsky and Gershwin, as well as from the Spanish folk music of the composer's hometown, the Basque region, can be seen. The concerto was Ravel's penultimate composition.
Μovements:
Ι. Allergamente
This concerto has no orchestral introduction. At the beginning of the first part marked Allegramente, the piano appears immediately, although the original theme in a folk style, is introduced by the piccolo. The melody is repeated by the trumpet. In the theme of the piano that follows, the influence of jazz, which exists throughout the work, is felt for the first time.
The piano then introduces a third theme, which adopts the saxophone and the trumpet. The lively part of the development continues the strong, rhythmic feeling of the first part and a part in the form of a canteenza for a solo harp moves mainly in the harmonics. Later, a solo piano cadenza completes the part with a deliberately dissonant descending scale.
ΙΙ. Adagio assai
The slow and lyrical second part, Adagio assai, begins with a theme surprisingly beautiful and simple. A trill completes the extensive piano solo. The music that follows is dominated by woodwinds with the flute in front. The piano, when it does not play a solo role, accompanies.
Towards the end, the English horn appears as a solo instrument, while the piano weaves and decorates. During an extended piano trill, the strings with sourdina reflect the original theme for the last time and complete the part.
ΙΙΙ. Presto
The third part, Presto, begins with a fanfare for tambourine and trumpet. The strange, screeching first theme is presented by the clarinet, while the piano provides the joyful accompaniment. The atmosphere is generally light and happy, with a cheerfulness reminiscent of the music of the circus and reflecting the influence of jazz.Then the music is restless, while the piano passages are combined with the strings and the bassoon.
Later the music is lowered and a quick return of the piano follows. An extensive scale where all the instruments are combined, leads to strong, dissonant chords that complete the work.
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