Verdi Requiem from Barcelona

Verdi's monumental Messa da Requiem, the most spectacularly operatic of sacred music works, shakes the walls of Barcelona's stunning Palau de la Música Catalana with a world-class cast led by a quartet of star soloists: soprano Elenora Buratto, mezzo-soprano Elina Garanca, tenor Benjamin Bernheim, and bass Riccardo Zanellato. The considerable talents of the Orfeó Català, directed by Xavier Puig, round out the vocal ranks, while the forces of the legendary Staatskapelle Dresden unite under the baton of maestro Daniele Gatti. Though punctuated by moments of tranquility, Verdi's Requiem maintains an extraordinary intensity over its entire duration, brought to a thrilling peak in the terrifying "Dies irae" theme that recurs to hair-raising effect throughout the work.