Giuseppe Verdi's Requiem Mass is often called operatic, but this 2016 production from the Zurich Opera employs it as the basis for a ballet by Christian Spuck. The music is naturally performed offstage by the Philharmonia Zürich under Fabio Luisi, but the chorus and vocal soloists—soprano Krassimira Stoyanova, mezzo Veronica Simeoni, tenor Francesco Meli, and bass Georg Zeppenfeld—appear alongside members of the Ballett Zürich, striking appropriate poses to complement the dancing. The overarching theme is the inevitability of death, reflected in tableaux corresponding to the Requiem's movements. The grey, somber stage is penned in by a forbidding wall on which various performers occasionally write words drawn from the liturgy. For each number, the dancers' movement conveys the emotional core of the Latin text: in the Dies irae, for example, the ensemble rushes wildly about the stage with arms stretched out pleadingly or held tightly behind their backs, while more lyrical passages display more subdued depictions of grief or hope. During the concluding Libera me, the ceiling is lowered toward the stage to reveal a single unmoving body—presumably a reference to a corpse in a tomb. Lovers of Verdi's work may find the ballet an intrusive and unnecessary addition to the composer's glorious score, but for those willing to accept the blending of dance and sacred music, this will prove intriguing. Presented in DTS 5.1, Dolby Digital 5.1, and PCM stereo on DVD, and DTS-HD 5.1 and PCM stereo on Blu-ray, extras include a "making-of" documentary. Recommended. (F. Swietek)
Verdi: Messa da Requiem
(2017) 96 min. in Latin w/English subtitles. DVD: $24.99, Blu-ray: $39.99. Accentus Music (avail. from most distributors). Volume 33, Issue 2
Verdi: Messa da Requiem
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