VERDI'S REQUIEM at PALACE HALL on April 15, 2027
A remarkable event for music lovers in the capital: Giuseppe Verdi's "Messa da REQUIEM", one of the most impressive sacred creations in the history of music, will be staged during the Easter period, on April 15, 2027, at the Palace Hall, 10 years after its previous performance on the same stage. The monumental masterpiece will transport the audience into a unique sonic universe, where the drama of Verdi's operas blends with the depth of spiritual reflection and the intensity of the incessant struggle between good and evil. The solo line-up will bring renowned names from the opera scene before the public, the first two confirmed presences being tenor Ştefan von Korch and mezzo-soprano Orsolya Veress. The Oltenia Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra and the Academic Choir of the same institution will bring the tumultuous work to life, on an evening where the step from rebellion to contemplation and prayer is but a single one.
From the delicacy of the first chords to the overwhelming outbursts in the famous "Dies Irae", Verdi's Requiem is an emotional journey of rare intensity. Conceived for four soloists, choir, and a large orchestra, the Messa da Requiem impresses with its richness of sound colors and the expressive power that has made it famous on the world's greatest stages.
Tenor Ştefan von Korch, coordinator of the Musical Extravaganza season, of which the performance is an integral part, offers details: "In this music, fear and hope, doubt and faith, human fragility and the aspiration for eternity meet. Each page of the score speaks of the great questions of existence, through a musical language of extraordinary richness and expressiveness."
The REQUIEM is the work in which Verdi, already famous in his time for operas such as "Aida", "Rigoletto", and "La Traviata", gives a new dimension to his creative power: the composition of almost theatrical dramatic intensity is considered by many specialists to be "an opera in religious dress".
The choral-orchestral sequence „Dies Irae," which evokes the Last Judgment through sonic tumult and dramatic contrasts, alongside the tenor aria „Ingemisco," the duet „Agnus Dei," and the final sequence „Libera me," are considered the most spectacular and explosive pages in sacred music.
The „Messa da REQUIEM" on April 15, 2027, is the second complete work presented in the Musical Extravaganza season, after Carmina Burana scheduled for February 21, 2027, also at Sala Palatului.
Tickets are available on Ticketstore.ro, Biletlateatru.ro, Startickets.ro, DynamicTicket.ro, and at the Sala Palatului ticket office.
About Messa da REQUIEM
Composed in memory of the Italian writer Alessandro Manzoni, whom Verdi esteemed, the Requiem follows the traditional Latin text of the Mass for the Dead and is conceived as a solemn funeral service. It was first performed in 1874 in the San Marco church in Milan and has become one of the most resonant creations in the vocal-symphonic repertoire. Unlike other requiems that emphasize the serenity of faith, Verdi's work often expresses man's fear, hope, suffering, and anxiety in the face of death, giving the work a profoundly human dimension.
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About ** Ştefan von Korch – Tenor, host soloist Musical Extravaganza**
Ştefan von Korch, applauded for his tenor line in Carmina Burana but also for his roles in "I Puritani," "The Barber of Seville," "Rigoletto," "The Elixir of Love," or "Falstaff," delights the audience monthly as host soloist and artistic coordinator of the Musical Extravaganza season, a pioneering cultural project developed in the capital, with extensions on the stages in Braşov, Piteşti, Sibiu, Craiova, and Târgu Mureş.
With a dynamic presence in national and international cultural life, Ştefan von Korch will open the seasons of the Symphonic Orchestras of Satu Mare and Târgu Mureş this autumn with his signature work, "Carmina Burana," and will return to the stage of the Bucharest National Theatre in the concert "Duel of the Tenors." Since the beginning of the year, he has already performed on the stage of the Bucharest National Theatre, at the Braşov, Sibiu, Târgu Mureş, and Arad Symphonic Orchestras, and on the stage of the Iaşi National Opera in "The Merry Widow 2.0," directed by Andrei Şerban.
In 2025 he was the only Romanian soloist in the highly traditional concerts "Los Tres Tenores," in Central America, alongside soloists from Spain and Honduras, he debuted at the Romanian Athenaeum in "Concert at the Imperial Court," he opened the Arad Philharmonic season with "Carmina Burana", his "signature" work, with which he also started the year on the stage of the Transilvania State Philharmonic.
He is the unmistakable voice for the tenor line in Carmina Burana – a passage at the limit of male vocal capabilities, which he navigates with overflowing ease. Thanks to his interpretation of this work, he has been invited to over 40 performances of Carmina Burana, in Philharmonic and cultural institutions across the country, as well as abroad, and in 2024 he had the honor of opening the Palermo Classica Festival with this work, with an acclaimed appearance in both the Italian and Romanian press.
His name is also associated with over 15 performances at the Bucharest National Opera where he has been invited over time in "The Barber of Seville," "The Elixir of Love," and "Falstaff," as well as the national premiere of the opera "I Puritani" by Vicenzo Bellini, one of the highest parts written for the male voice.
The year 2024 concluded with notable appearances at the Ion Dacian National Theatre of Operetta and Musical, at the Palace Hall, and at the Philharmonic Orchestras of Târgu-Mureş and Timişoara.
In 2023, he was the only Romanian soloist in the China Tour 2023, alongside the Reino de Aragon Orchestra from Spain.
He delighted the audience with his voice in 3 national premieres: "I Puritani" and "La Sonnambula," both by Vicenzo Bellini, the vocal-symphonic work "Messa di Gloria" by Rossini, as well as the European premiere "Traiano in Dacia."
Over time, he has performed roles specific to his voice in the very well-known operas: "Rigoletto," "The Barber of Seville," "The Elixir of Love," "Don Pasquale," on the stages of the Operas in Bucharest, Cluj, and Iaşi, and is a constant presence on the stages of national philharmonic orchestras, "Requiem" by Mozart, "Christmas Oratorio" by Bach, and "Lobgesang" by Mendelssohn.
Internationally, she has performed at the Metropolitan Concert Hall Tokyo, Zhuhai Opera House, Nanjing Poly Grand Theatre and Chongqing Grand Theatre, Opera Kaiserslautern Germany, Auditorium of Zaragoza, Steri Palace of Palermo, Teatro Verdi Padua Italy, Concert Hall of the Zurich Academy of Music, National Theatre Bratislava.
Orsolya Veress – mezzo-soprano
With a broad, enveloping vocal quality and an elegant presence, mezzo-soprano Veress Orsolya is currently a soloist at the Hungarian Opera in Cluj Napoca and winner of numerous international competitions. Throughout her career, she has had multiple collaborations with the Orchestras of Oradea, Sibiu, Satu Mare, Timișoara, as well as with the Romanian National Opera in Cluj, the State Opera in Bucharest, the State Opera in Timișoara, the Budapest Opera, the State Symphony Orchestra of Mexico; and participation in the Miskolc Opera Festival. In 2017, she was awarded the Albert Annamaria Memorial Ring, and she completed her bachelor's and master's studies at the Gheorghe Dima Music Academy in Cluj Napoca, in the class of Dr. Elena Andrieș Moldovan. Her repertoire includes works by Verdi, Puccini, Ravel, Wagner, and Kodály.
About the season Musical Extravaganza
Chamber concerts aim to offer the public the joy of meeting representative names of the lyrical scene, in a more intimate setting, which offers a different perspective on the artistic act compared to that on the imposing opera stage, but also to bring the classical genre closer to audiences of all ages. Spectators are invited to admire their favorite soloists in a select atmosphere, complemented by chamber accompaniment, which highlights the performers in a warm and personal light.
The first two seasons of Musical Extravaganza, conducted under the artistic guidance of tenor Ştefan von Korch, included over 20 successful concerts, in which they delighted the audience, together with the host soloist: sopranos Oana Maria Şerban, Cristina Maria Oltean, Daniela Bucşan, tenors George Vîrban, Mihai Urzicana, Andrei Mihalcea, Alin Stoica, baritones Adrian Mărcan and Fang Shuang, pianist Alexandru Burcă, accordionist Emy Drăgoi, pianist Bogdana Cocîrlea, pianist Marius Groza and the Orchestra of the National Theatre of Operetta and Musical Ion Dacian – in salon formation and the Piteşti Philharmonic Orchestra – the most avant-garde in the country.
Starting with the 2026 / 2027 season, the Musical Extravaganza season will also bring complete works to the public – the first of which will be the cantata "Carmina Burana", followed by "Messa da Requiem" by Giuseppe Verdi.
