Verdi: Pezzi Sacri

 

Verdi's Four Sacred Pieces for chorus are late works from the composer. Two are set a cappella and two come with orchestra.

I don't believe these were intentionally written as a whole, and depending on resources could very well be performed individually.

Looking at the a cappella pieces, the Ave Maria and the Laudi, these are very demanding works. Verdi writes with heavy chromaticism, accompanied by awkward harmonic movement and snot-hard tuning for the singer.

They are extremely beautiful pieces though, and I daresay would task the finest ensemble to sound coherently lovely. For the listener, Verdi leans on the unexpected, for rarely does the music move to where the ears wishes it to go.

The choral/orchestral pieces are the Stabat Mater and Te Deum. They cast an extremely different pallor compared to the a cappella ones, not to mention simply being lengthier. Of the two, the Stabat Mater sounds the more devotional of the two, whereas the the Te Deum echoes Verdi's famous Requiem, with more orchestral spectacle.

The Stabat Mater has this throbbing, heartfelt quality to its writing, and I am sure this is intentional on the part of Verdi, for the text is in itself quite emotional. There is a bit of the opera still in its music, although this is more evident in the Te Deum.

In that one, the music becomes hair-raising, and dare I say, ecstatic with its stunning musical power. I sense more orchestral features too, and perhaps that combined with the wide-ranged double chorus is enough to set the stirring Te Deum apart from the sorrowful Stabat Mater.

There are endless recordings of the Pezzi Sacri available. My personal go-to recording is Carlo Maria Giulini with the Philharmonia from 1963, which remains in very fine sonics. The Philharmonia Chorus is a large symphonic-scaled choir, so expect grandiosity and a typically measured pace from Giulini. No matter, as this is a majestic, powerful reading of the best kind.

Three recent recordings from Italian conductors Antonio Pappano, Gianandrea Noseda, and Riccardo Chailly continue in Giulini's tradition, with large, Italianate choirs, even if they are ever so slight faster. Each, however, have wonderful Verdi choral programs on their recordings. Otherwise, Georg Solti has a fine version in Vienna from the 60s, and there is a host of others as well.

Where does this work fit? Well, it contains some of Verdi's last musical statements, so in this regard, it bears relevance to me. Plus, finding music not associated with opera from Verdi is not prolific, so what he did write must have had some personal meaning.

 

Listen on YouTube

 

Work
Pezzi Sacri
   I. Ave Maria (5.57)
  II. Stabat Mater (13.27)
 III. Laudi, alla Vergine Maria (5.51)
 IV. Te Deum (15.56)

Performers
Philharmonia Chorus
Philharmonia Orchestra
Carlo Maria Giulini, conductor

Label: EMI / Warner Classics
Year: 1963 / 2020
Total Timing: 41.11

 

 

 

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