Verdi Requiem, Winchester Cathedral - performed without scores

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Southampton Philharmonic Choir and the Southampton University Phil repeat their sell-out 1997 concert of this most dramatic of requiems, performed without scores in the magnificent setting of Winchester Cathedral. David Gibson conducts the joint choir and the New London Sinfonia, with soloists Rachel Nicholls (soprano), Kim-Marie Woodhouse (mezzo soprano), Christopher Lemmings (tenor), and Nicholas Warden (bass).

Trumpets sounding loud as thunder…

Verdi’s Requiem was his only large-scale work not intended for the theatre. Soaring, lyrical passages contrast with highly dramatic sections. The terrifying Dies Irae is repeated throughout, giving a sense of unity. Trumpets issue the call to judgement in the Tuba mirum - the combined brass, drums and chorus giving some of the loudest unamplified music ever composed.

In this performance the choir will sing without scores to enhance the immediacy of the drama. Simon Milton’s Fanfare for Verdi Brass (Prelude to Verdi Requiem for Brass and Percussion) was first performed in 2006. It was composed to use the large brass section required for parts of Verdi’s Requiem. This concert repeats our sell-out performance of the Requiem in the magnificent setting of Winchester Cathedral in 1997.