Cancelled: An Evening of Music from Italy - Verdi and Puccini

For many years following the Renaissance, Italy dominated the musical culture of Europe. Since then, Italian composers' main contributions have been sacred works in Latin for church services and secular operas in Italian for theatre performances. Among the first to be proficient at both was Claudio Monteverdi (1567-1643). In this concert, we will be performing sacred music by two later composers best known for their operas. Both excelled at writing for the voice and at orchestration. Puccini wrote his Messa di Gloria in 1876, while still a student, whereas Verdi's Te Deum (one of his Four Sacred Pieces) was written towards the end of his life. It is said that Verdi loved this work and asked for the score to be buried with him. It has hints of the composer's great Requiem. The concert will also include a performance by our accompanying orchestra of another early work by Puccini. The Preludio Sinfonico was influenced by the music of Wagner, but is unmistakably Italian.