Verdi in the Cathedral
Cathedral Concert Series – Amadeus Chamber Ensemble
Cathedral of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, 711 S. Northshore Drive, Knoxville
Sunday, October 23, 2022, at 5:00 PM
Admission is free, but registration is requested
The Cathedral Concert Series has been quite prolific of late in filling a niche in Knoxville’s classical music scene—that of vocal, choral, and instrumental performances that are beyond the scale and logistics of other organizations. The series’ performers have run the gamut from local musicians to those on the national scene. Importantly, most of performances are free to the audience, fulfilling a stated goal of building appreciation for the arts in East Tennessee. The series continues this week with “Verdi in the Cathedral,” a performance presented by the Amadeus Chamber Ensemble with guest vocalists under the direction of Brian Salesky.
Guest artists include some singers who may be familiar to Knoxville audiences from Knoxville Opera engagements. Soprano Rochelle Bard sang the title role in the KO production of Bellini’s Norma as well as appearing as Leonora in Il Trovatore and as Mary Queen of Scots in Donizetti’s Maria Stuarda. Mezzo-soprano Diana Salesky, a co-founder of the Amadeus Chamber Ensemble, was heard just last month in the Cathedral Concert Series performance of Mozart’s Coronation Mass. Tenor Aaron Short appeared as Edgardo in the 2019 KO production of Lucia di Lammermoor. New to Knoxville audiences will be baritone Christian Bowers making his Knoxville debut and relative-newcomer bass KC Armstrong. The Amadeus Chamber Ensemble concertmaster is Miroslav Hristov.
Despite a career of operatic masterpieces such as La Traviata, Il Trovatore, Rigoletto, and Aida, Giuseppe Verdi had composed very little significant non-operatic music in his lifetime. However, his Requiem of 1874 would change that, even with the understood demarcation between sacred and secular music.
The death of the revered Italian poet, novelist, and patriotic philosopher Alessandro Manzoni in 1873 became an occasion of national mourning for Italians. Like many, Verdi admired Manzoni, not just for his writings and commitment to the public, but also for his inner strength as a human being devoted to “truth.” Looking for a way to honor his memory, Verdi eventually suggested to his publisher Ricordi that he compose a Requiem mass for Manzoni.
The Offertorio section of the Requiem was the last to be completed in April of 1874, making possible a first performance of the work in May of 1874 in Milan. It is that section that will open the concert and act as the starting point for a journey through Verdi’s “theatrical religious” offerings from a number of operas, including Don Carlo (“Dio che nell’alma infondere”) and four pieces from La Forza del Destino. Also included will be the Conversion Scene from I Lombardi alla Prima Crociata, one of Verdi’s earliest efforts.
