Verdi: Quattro Pezzi Sacri

Description

Les Quattro Pezzi Sacri by Giuseppe Verdi take center stage in this new eponymous album by the Rundfunkchor Berlin and the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin under the direction of Gijs Leenaars. In addition, the album features lesser-known choral pieces by other Italian composers from the late 19th century and early 20th century. At the end of his life, Giuseppe Verdi returned to the starting point of his career, namely the composition of sacred music. The Rundfunkchor, known as one of the best choirs in Germany, teams up with the famous Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, which is celebrating its 75th anniversary in 2022. The hymn "O salutaris hostia" by Giachino Rossini was later inserted as a movement in one of his most exceptional works: "Petite messe solennelle." The album also includes two choral pieces by Ermanno Wolf-Ferrari, "Otto cori op.2," who would later become especially known for his opera works. In this youthful piece set to Italian and German texts, his love for Italian Renaissance music is revealed. Another rarity is "A Raffaello Divino" by Marco Enrico Bossi, whose catalog of compositions is still largely unknown, except for his works for organ. In response to Verdi's late dramatic work, Giacomo Puccini's "Requiem" closes the album.