Requiem

Requiem, S. 12 (R. 448), "Messe des morts" (1868) I. Requiem aeternam [0:00] II. Dies irae [8:43] III. Offertorium [24:45] IV. Sanctus [32:44] V. Agnus Dei [39:30] VI. Libera me [44:49] [NOTE: To read the score, it is best to watch the video in high resolution. To view full screen, click in the lower right corner of the video display.] This is a sacred choral work by Hungarian composer Franz Liszt (1811-1886). Liszt may be more familiar to many viewers as the flamboyant virtuoso who composed the Hungarian Rhapsodies, Transcendental Etudes and Mephisto Waltzes, but in reality, a large proportion of Liszt's musical output is of a different nature, often pondering, meditative, spiritual or ecstatic. The 1868 Requiem shows this much more introverted, reflective side of the composer. It is a setting of the traditional Latin Requiem Mass (also known as the "Missa pro defunctis" or Mass for the Dead), which is celebrated for the repose of the souls of the deceased, typically in the context of a funeral. Unlike his contemporaries Hector Berlioz, Antonín Dvořák and Giuseppe Verdi, Liszt did not look towards the Baroque model in his setting of the Requiem Mass, which seeks to create a large, powerful, often ostentatious gesture of worship; instead, he looked further back towards Renaissance-era Requiems, particularly the examples of Orlando di Lasso and Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina, even incorporating traditional themes from Gregorian chant. Thus, his mass is a more emotionally taut, intimate affair, scored for the relatively sparse ensemble of four male vocal soloists, a male choir, brass, timpani and organ. At the same time, Liszt explores highly unorthodox harmonic grounds, which is indicative of the progressive role he played in European music at the time. The text of the Requiem with English translation is available here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Requiem#Music Tenors: Alfonz Bartha, Sándor Palcsó Baritone: Zsolt Bende Bass: Péter Kovács Organist: Sándor Margittay Chorus master: István Kis Conductor: János Ferencsik Hungarian Army Male Chorus