| Riccardo Muti | Conductor |
| Marie Lys | Soprano |
| Elīna Garanča | Mezzo-soprano |
| Piotr Beczała | Tenor |
| William Thomas | Bass |
| Philharmonia Orchestra | |
| Philharmonia Chorus |
Riccardo Muti, former Principal Conductor of the Philharmonia, returns to London to conduct Verdi’s roof-raising Requiem.
Verdi poured all his skill in depicting the extremes of human emotion into his Requiem. There is violence in the ‘Dies Irae’, power and grandeur in the ‘Tuba Mirum’, heralded by eight trumpets. Joyful praise resounds in the ‘Sanctus’, a brilliant double fugue. The ‘Agnus Dei’ opens with a spine-tingling unaccompanied duet for the soprano and mezzo soloists – this evening, the peerless Elīna Garanča and rising star Juliana Grigoryan.
Only a handful of people have had the privilege of being Principal Conductor of the Philharmonia Orchestra. Muti was at the helm from 1972 to 1982, succeeding Otto Klemperer. He is acknowledged as one of the world’s leading interpreters of Verdi, and one of the great conductors of our time. As the Philharmonia prepares to celebrate its 80th anniversary, his much-anticipated return is one of the highlights of London’s musical calendar.
Soprano Juliana Grigoryan has had to withdraw from this performance for personal reasons. The Philharmonia is grateful to Marie Lys for stepping in.
Bass Ildebrando d’Arcangelo has had to withdraw from this performance due to ill health. The Philharmonia is grateful to William Thomas for stepping in.