If a requiem looms large among a composer's works, especially one written near the end of his or her life or in a morbid frame of mind, it inevitably becomes an unofficial, autobiographical epitaph.

In an environment of little food, no medical care, disease, infestation, and fear for their lives, professional conductor Rafael Schachter and other Jews formed a chorus, memorized Giuseppe Verdi’s ...

Rehearsing the Los Angeles Opera chorus, conductor Plácido Domingo was trying to get the hushed effect he wanted for part of the dreaded “Dies irae” (Day of Judgment) in Verdi’s Requiem, a work he ...

Verdi’s Requiem, the composer’s epic, dramatic, mood-swinging treatment of an ancient Catholic funeral mass, is a significant milestone for any conductor. “It’s one of those pieces that you study and ...

This is FRESH AIR. I'm Dave Davies, in today for Terry Gross. We're going to listen to and hear about a beautiful and awe-inspiring piece of music, Verdi's "Requiem," with our guest, conductor Yannick ...