Destination: Opera!

The story of the Requiem begins with the death of Rossini in 1868. Verdi proposed a memorial Requiem in which the leading Italian composers would each contribute one section. Verdi was to provide the Libera me. The project was poorly organized and while the music was eventually written the memorial was never performed. Verdi learned from the experience and when Alessandro Manzoni died in 1873, he decided to compose a memorial Requiem entirely himself. Verdi reworked the existing Libera me and incorporated thematic material from it in the other movements. While Verdi was quite sincere in his desire to memorialize Manzoni, for whom he had great respect, he was also aware of the commercial possibilities for the Requiem. Negotiating with the city of Milan to underwrite the premiere and with the Church to allow women singers to appear, he was also arranging publication and performance royalties. The premiere took place in May, 1874, at the Church of San Marco as part of a liturgy, but Verdi also arranged two concert performances at La Scala, which were greeted with great enthusiasm.