VERDI'S REQUIEM  at the PALACE HALL on April 15, 2027

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VERDI'S REQUIEM  at the PALACE HALL on April 15, 2027 under the baton of maestro DAVID CRESCENZI, with ŞTEFAN von KORCH in the solo line

"Messa da REQUIEM" by Giuseppe Verdi, one of the most  impressive sacred creations in the history of music, will be staged  during Lent, on April 15, 2027, at the Palace Hall. 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 fierceness of the incessant struggle between good and evil. The solo line-up will bring to the audience names of renown from the lyrical stage, the first two confirmed presences being tenor Ştefan von Korch, and mezzo-soprano Orsolya Veress. The Symphony Orchestra and the Academic Choir of the Oltenia Philharmonic – Craiova, will bring the tumultuous work to life, on an evening where from  rebellion to contemplation and prayer is but a step.  The concert will be conducted by maestro David Crescenzi.

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, Messa da Requiem impresses with its richness of sonic colors and the expressive force that has made it famous on the world's great stages.

Details are provided by tenor Ștefan von Korch, coordinator of the Musical Extravaganza season, of which the performance is an integral part: “In this music, fear and hope, doubt and faith, human fragility and the aspiration towards 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 force: the composition of almost theatrical dramatic intensity is considered by many specialists to be “an opera in religious garb".

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.

About the Messa da REQUIEM

Composed in memory of the Italian writer Alessandro Manzoni, whom Verdi esteemed, the Requiem follows the traditional Latin text of the liturgy 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 as well as for his roles in "I Puritani," "The Barber of Seville," "Rigoletto," "The Elixir of Love," or "Falstaff," delights audiences monthly as a host soloist and artistic coordinator of the Musical Extravaganza season, a pioneering cultural project carried out in the capital, with extensions to stages in Brașov, Pitești, Sibiu, Craiova, and Târgu Mureș. 

 With a dynamic presence in the national cultural life and beyond,  Ştefan von Korch  will open this autumn the seasons of the Philharmonic Orchestras in Satu Mare and Târgu Mureş with his signature work, „Carmina Burana" and returned to the stage of the National Theatre in Bucharest in the concert „Duelul Tenorilor,"  and since the beginning of the year, he has already been present on the stage of the National Theatre in Bucharest, at the Braşov Philharmonic, Sibiu, Târgu Mureş, Arad and on the stage of the National Opera in Iaşi in „Văduva veselă 2.0,"  directed by Andrei Şerban.

În 2025 he was the only Romanian soloist in the concerts of great tradition "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 season of the Arad Philharmonic with "Carmina Burana," his „signature" work, with which he also started the year on the stage of the Transilvania State Philharmonic.

It is the unmistakable voice for the tenor line in Carmina Burana – a passage at the limit of the male voice's capabilities, which he navigates with overflowing ease. Thanks to his performance style, he has been invited to over 40 performances of Carmina Burana, in Philharmonic and cultural institutions across the country, as well as abroad. In 2024, he had the honor of opening the Palermo Classica Festival with this work, with a critically acclaimed appearance in both the peninsula's and Romania's press.

His name is also associated with over 15 performances at the National Opera in Bucharest, 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 significant appearances at the Ion Dacian National Operetta and Musical Theatre, at Sala Palatului, and at the Philharmonic orchestras in Târgu-Mureș and Timișoara.

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, and also in the European premiere "Traiano in Dacia."

 Over time, he interpreted 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 Iași, and is a constant presence on the stages of national philharmonics, "Requiem" by Mozart, "Christmas Oratorio" by Bach and "Lobgesang" by Mendelssohn.

Internationally, he 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 in Palermo, Teatro Verdi Padua Italy, Concert Hall of the Zurich University 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 a 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 Bucharest National Opera, the Timișoara National Opera, the Budapest Opera, the State Symphony Orchestra of Mexico; and participated 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, under the tutelage of Dr. Elena Andrieș Moldovan. Her repertoire includes works by Verdi, Puccini, Ravel, Wagner, and Kodály.

David Crescenzi – conductor

In the 2021/22 season, David Crescenzi conducted Traviata, Rigoletto, and La Bohème at the Bucharest National Opera.

Colaborează frecvent cu Orchestra Radio, Filarmonica „George Enescu", Opera Națională din București și cu Filarmonica „Transilvania". De asemenea, între 2018/2021, a fost dirijor invitat principal la opera din Düsseldorf, unde a dirijat Romeo și Julieta, Traviata, Cenușăreasa, Tosca, Cavaleria rusticană, Paiațe, Don Giovanni, Nunta lui Figaro, Madama Butterfly. A dirijat spectacole la Opera de Stat din Hanovra, la Teatrul „Pergolesi" din Jesi, la teatrele de operă din Treviso și Ferrara, la Opera din Modena. Începând cu luna mai 2021, David Crescenzi este și dirijor permanent al Operei Naționale din Iași.

În cadrul stagiunilor 2011/2013, a fost invitat de către Opera Națională Română din Iași pentru a dirija Boema de Puccini, Lucia di Lammermoor de Donizetti, Rigoletto, Nunta lui Figaro, premierele operelor Bărbierul din Sevilla și Aida. În ianuarie 2012, a întreprins un turneu în Germania și Franța, cu Bergisch Symphoniker Orchestra din Köln, unde a dirijat Aida, Otello și Recviemul de Verdi.

Din anul 2008, este dirijor invitat al  Operei Naționale Române din Cluj-Napoca, iar din 2017 directorul artistic al instituției.

Despre stagiunea Musical Extravaganza

He frequently collaborates with the Radio Orchestra, the "George Enescu" Philharmonic, the Bucharest National Opera, and the "Transilvania" Philharmonic. Furthermore, between 2018/2021, he was the principal guest conductor at the Düsseldorf Opera, where he conducted Romeo and Juliet, Traviata, Cinderella, Tosca, Cavalleria rusticana, Pagliacci, Don Giovanni, The Marriage of Figaro, Madama Butterfly. He conducted performances at the Hanover State Opera, the "Pergolesi" Theatre in Jesi, the opera theatres in Treviso and Ferrara, and the Modena Opera. Starting from May 2021, David Crescenzi is also a permanent conductor of the Iași National Opera.

During the 2011/2013 seasons, he was invited by the Romanian National Opera of Iași to conduct Puccini's La Bohème, Donizetti's Lucia di Lammermoor, Rigoletto, The Marriage of Figaro, and the premieres of the operas The Barber of Seville and Aida. In January 2012, he undertook a tour in Germany and France with the Bergisch Symphoniker Orchestra from Cologne, where he conducted Aida, Otello, and Verdi's Requiem.

Since 2008, he has been a guest conductor of the Romanian National Opera of Cluj-Napoca, and since 2017, the artistic director of the institution.

About the seasonMusical 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 public, 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, Musical Extravaganza brings complete works to the public – the first of which is the cantata "Carmina Burana", followed by "Messa da Requiem" by Giuseppe Verdi.