Giuseppe Verdi - Messa da Requiem

Great emotions guaranteed

On Saturday, November 7 at 7:00 PM in St. Pirmin's Church in Pirmasens and Sunday, November 8, 2026 at 5:00 PM in Gedächtniskirche in Speyer, Giuseppe Verdi's monumental "Requiem" will resound. For this occasion, the cathedral choirs of both cities join forces under the direction of Maurice A. Croissant and Robert R. Sattelberger, forming a choir of over 120 singers - a unique concert experience is guaranteed. Contributing to this is also a large orchestral ensemble with distant trumpets, as well as outstanding soloists: Carina Schmieger (Stuttgart) - soprano, Susannah Haberfeld (Zurich) - mezzo-soprano, Matthias Koziorowski (Essen) - tenor and Dominik Wörner (Kirchheim/Wstr.) - bass.

When Giuseppe Verdi premiered his Requiem in the Church of San Marco in Milan on May 22, 1874, it was a cultural event. At the height of his career, the 60-year-old composer was internationally celebrated for it.

Yet it was never the opera composer's intention to compose an entire Requiem. Three years earlier, he still spoke of a "temptation that, like so many others, will pass." In 1871, he planned to write a collaborative Requiem in honor of the deceased composer Gioachino Rossini together with twelve other renowned composers. Verdi contributed his part, but the others did not. However, when two years later the significant Italian poet and writer Alessandro Manzoni died, Verdi immediately set to work and created an evening-length Requiem mass lasting approximately an hour and a half. A masterpiece!

The premiere took place on the first anniversary of Manzoni's death. The Church of San Marco in Milan was filled to capacity. Visitors from numerous countries came to witness this event. Many already sensed that something great was about to happen. After all, Verdi was known as a celebrated composer of grand operas. Thus the premiere became a great