Verdi Requiem Is March 30, 2024, Met Opera Saturday Radio Matinee

Summary: The Verdi Requiem is the March 30, 2024, Met Opera Saturday radio matinee, airing as 17th of the 2023-2024 season's 27 Saturday matinee broadcasts.

As feline admirers, the Metropolitan Opera's French Canadian conductor, Yannick Nézet-Séguin, and his spouse, Pierre Tourville, violist with Montréal's Orchestre Métropolitain (OM), include felines Rodolfo, Melisande and Rafa in their family life; Saturday, Sep. 23, 2023, image of Met Opera's maestro enjoying feline companionship with Rafa three to four days prior to his conductorship of the 2023-2024 season's Metropolitan Opera premiere of Heggie's Dead Man Walking on Tuesday, Sep. 26, 2023, and of the next evening's opening performance of Verdi's Requiem: Yannick Nezet-Seguin, via Facebook Sep. 23, 2023

The Verdi Requiem is the March 30, 2024, Met Opera Saturday matinee broadcast, airing at 1:00 p.m. Eastern Time as the 17th of the 2023-2024 season's lineup of 27 Saturday matinee radio broadcasts.

Messa da Requiem by 19th-century Italian composer Giuseppe Verdi (Oct. 10, 1813-Jan. 27, 1901) received three performances in the 2023-2024 season. The first through third performances, numbering as the opera company's 55th through 57th performances of Verdi's Requiem, took place Wednesday, Sep. 27, 2023; Friday, Sep. 29, 2023; and Saturday, Sep. 30, 2023. The March 30, 2024, Saturday matinee radio broadcast plays the opening performance of Wednesday, Sep. 27.

Yannick Nézet-Séguin conducted all three performances. Maestro Nézet-Séguin's conductorship of Verdi's Requiem in the 2023-2024 season numbers as his second season as Requiem conductor. He added Verdi's memorial mass to his Met Opera portfolio on Saturday, Sep. 11, 2021, for the opera company's "Verdi's Requiem: The Met Remembers 9/11," a concert presented in association with the National September 11 Memorial & Museum. The French Canadian conductor and pianist had made his Met Opera debut Thursday, Dec. 31, 2009, in the opera company's 946th performance of Carmen by French Romantic Era composer Georges Bizet (Oct. 25, 1838-June 3, 1875).

The Metropolitan Opera Chorus and four soloists performed the Requiem with the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra. Chorus Master Donald Palumbo directed the Metropolitan Opera Chorus in all three performances. Donald Palumbo's preparation of the chorus in spring 2006 for the 2006-2007 season's debut of American director, choreographer and dancer Mark Morris's (born Aug. 29, 1956) new production of Christoph von Gluck's Orfeo ed Euridice marked the American director, choreographer and dancer's first aassociation with the Metropolitan Opera, according to American opera and classical music critic Peter G. (Graffam) Davis (March 3, 1936-Feb. 13, 2021) in "The Lone Voice That Unites the Chorus," published Oct. 30, 2008, in The New York Times. Donald Palumbo assumed the permanent position of Chorus Master in September 2006. He will retire as Chorus Master at the end of the 2023-2024 season, according to the Metropolitan Opera's press release, "Met Chorus Master Donald Palumbo to step down after almost 20 years," dated Sep. 18, 2023.

Leah Hawkins sang as the Requiem's solo soprano in all three performances. The American soprano had made her Met Opera debut Friday, Nov. 23, 2018, as an Alms Collector in the opera company's 75th performance of Suor Angelica by Italian opera composer Giacomo Puccini (Dec. 22, 1858-Nov. 29, 1924).

Karen Cargill appeared as the Requiem's solo mezzo-soprano in all three performances. The Scottish mezzo-soprano had made her Met Opera debut April 24, 2012, as Waltraute in the opera company’s 231st performance of Götterdämmerung by 19th-century German composer and librettist Richard Wagner (May 22, 1813-Feb. 13, 1883).

Matthew Polenzani sang as the Requiem's solo tenor in all three performances. The American lyric tenor had made his Met Opera debut Friday, Dec. 19, 1997, as Khrushchov in the opera company’s 251st performance of Boris Godunov by Russian composer Modest Petrovich Mussorgsky (March 21, 1839-March 28, 1881).

Dmitry Belosselskiy appeared as the Requiem's solo bass. The Ukrainian bass had made his Met Opera debut Saturday, Nov. 5, 2011, in the opera company's 54th performance of Verdi's Nabucco.

The Metropolitan Opera premiere of the Verdi Requiem Mass took place Sunday, Feb. 17, 1901. The premiere commemorated Verdi's death, which occurred in the previous month, January 1901. Verdi Requiem Mass received four performances in the 1900-1901 season. The second through fourth performances took place Sunday, March 3; Sunday, March 17; and Sunday, April 7. The first three performances, which were held at the Metropolitan Opera House, 1411 Broadway, in Midtown Manhattan's Garment District, were offered as the 1900-1901 season's Ninth Grand Sunday Night Concert, Eleventh Grand Sunday Night Concert and Thirteenth Grand Sunday Night Concert, respectively. The fourth performance occurred as a Grand Sacred Concert at Boston Theatre, Washington Street, downtown Boston, eastern coastal Massachusetts.

Verdi composed Messa da Requiem as a memorial mass for his friend, Italian dramatist, novelist and poet Alessandro Manzoni (March 7, 1785-May 22, 1873). The Verdi Requiem's first performance was held on the first anniversary of Manzoni's death, Tuesday, May 22, 1874. The performance took place at Chiesa di San Marco (Church of San Marco), Piazza San Marco, historic central Milan, Lombardy region, northwestern Italy.

Donizetti's L'Elisir d'Amore broadcasts April 6, at 1:00 p.m. as the 18th of the 2023-2024 season's Saturday matinee radio broadcasts. The Saturday matinee plays Met Opera's April 6, 1974, performance of Donizetti's melodramma giocoso (comic melodrama) about distilling true love from a fake love potion.

Rochester, New York-born American choral conductor and vocal coach Donald Palumbo (born 1948) has guided the Metropolitan Opera Chorus as Chorus Master since September 2006: Met Opera Chorus, via Facebook Sep. 27, 2023

Acknowledgment

My special thanks to talented artists and photographers/concerned organizations who make their fine images available on the internet.

Image credits:

As feline admirers, the Metropolitan Opera's French Canadian conductor, Yannick Nézet-Séguin, and his spouse, Pierre Tourville, violist with Montréal's Orchestre Métropolitain (OM), include felines Rodolfo, Melisande and Rafa in their family life; Saturday, Sep. 23, 2023, image of Met Opera's maestro enjoying feline companionship with Rafa three to four days prior to his conductorship of the 2023-2024 season's Metropolitan Opera premiere of Heggie's Dead Man Walking on Tuesday, Sep. 26, 2023, and of the next evening's opening performance of Verdi's Requiem: Yannick Nezet-Seguin, via Facebook Sep. 23, 2023, @ https://www.facebook.com/yannicknezetseguinofficial/posts/861540512002568; via Facebook Sep. 23, 2023, @ https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=861540502002569&set=pb.100044398810534.-2207520000

Rochester, New York-born American choral conductor and vocal coach Donald Palumbo (born 1948) has guided the Metropolitan Opera Chorus as Chorus Master since September 2006: Met Opera Chorus, via Facebook Sep. 27, 2023, @ https://www.facebook.com/MetOperaChorus/posts/864793981670473

For further information:

Davis, Peter G. "The Lone Voice That Unites the Chorus." The New York Times > Arts > Music. Oct. 30, 2008.
Available @ https://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/02/arts/music/02davi.html

"Debut: Brian Michael Moore, Yi Li, Sharon Azrieli, Jessica Faselt, Leah Hawkins, Kristina Mkhitaryan." MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 357045 Il Trittico Il Tabarro Suor Angelica Gianni Schicchi Metropolitan Opera House, Fri, November 23, 2018 Broadcast. Debut: Brian Michael Moore, Yi Li, Sharon Azrieli, Jessica Faselt, Leah Hawkins, Kristina Mkhitaryan. Il Trittico (75) Giacomo Puccini.
Available @ https://archives.metopera.org/MetOperaSearch/record.jsp?dockey=0386506

"Debut: Constantin Pluzhnikov, Olga Borodina, Iosef Shalamayev, Nikolai Gassiev, Daniel Sumegi, Matthew Polenzani." MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 330264 Boris Godunov Metropolitan Opera House, Fri, December 19, 1997. Debut: Constantin Pluzhnikov, Olga Borodina, Iosef Shalamayev, Nikolai Gassiev, Daniel Sumegi, Matthew Polenzani. Boris Godunov (251) Modest Mussorgsky / Modest Mussorgsky.
Available @ https://archives.metopera.org/MetOperaSearch/record.jsp?dockey=0381398

"Debut: Dmitry Belosselskiy." MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 354136 Nabucco Metropolitan Opera House, Sat, November 5, 2011. Debut: Dmitry Belosselskiy. Nabucco (54) Giuseppe Verdi / Temistocle Solera.
Available @ https://archives.metopera.org/MetOperaSearch/record.jsp?dockey=0384821

"Debut: Dmitry Belosselskiy." MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 354136 Nabucco {54} Metropolitan Opera House: 11/05/2011. (Debut: Dmitry Belosselskiy) Metropolitan Opera House November 5, 2011.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=354136

"Debut: Karen Cargill." MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 354490 Götterdämmerung Ring Cycle [109] Uncut Metropolitan Opera House, Tue, April 24, 2012. Debut: Karen Cargill. Götterdämmerung (231) Richard Wagner / Richard Wagner.
Available @ https://archives.metopera.org/MetOperaSearch/record.jsp?dockey=0384994

"Debut: Yannick Nézet-Séguin, Elizabeth Caballero, Maria Kowroski, Martin Harvey, Richard Eyre, Rob Howell, Irene Bohan." MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 353274 New Production Carmen Metropolitan Opera House, Thu, December 31, 2009 Broadcast. Debut: Yannick Nézet-Séguin, Elizabeth Caballero, Maria Kowroski, Martin Harvey, Richard Eyre, Rob Howell, Irene Bohan. Carmen (946) Georges Bizet / Henri Meilhac/Ludovic Halévy.
Available @ https://archives.metopera.org/MetOperaSearch/record.jsp?dockey=0384395

"Debuts: Brian Michael Moore, YI Li, Jessica Faselt, Sharon Azrieli, Leah Hawkins, Kristina Mkhitaryan." MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 357063 Il Trittico {75} Il Tabarro {81} Suor Angelica {75} Gianni Schicchi {139} Metropolitan Opera House: 11/23/2018.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=357063

“Debuts: Constantin Pluzhnikov, Olga Borodina, Iosef Shalamayev, Nikolai Gassiev, Daniel Sumegi, Matthew Polenzani.” MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 330264 Boris Godunov {251} Metropolitan Opera House: 12/19/1997.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=330264

"Debuts: Karen Cargill." MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 354490 Götterdämmerung {231} Ring Cycle [109] Uncut. Metropolitan Opera House: 04/24/2012.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=354490

"Debuts: Yannick Nézet-Séguin, Richard Eyre, Rob Howell, Irene Bohan, Elizabeth Caballero, Maria Kowroski, Martin Harvey." MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 353274 New Production Carmen {946} Metropolitan Opera House: 12/31/2009. Sirius and XM Metropolitan Opera Broadcast New Year's Eve Gala.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=355517

Marriner, Derdriu. "Met Opera Calendars 2023-2024 Season Operas Sep. 26 Through June 8." Earth and Space News. Monday, Sep. 18, 2023.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2023/09/met-opera-calendars-2023-2024-season.html

Marriner, Derdriu. "Met Opera Newly Stages Carmen and La Forza del Destino in 2023-2024." Earth and Space News. Monday, Sep. 11, 2023.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2023/09/met-opera-newly-stages-carmen-and-la.html

Marriner, Derdriu. "Met Opera Premieres Verdi Requiem and The Magic Flute Nov. 24 and 25." Earth and Space News. Monday, Nov. 13, 2017.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2017/11/met-opera-premieres-verdi-requiem-and.html

Marriner, Derdriu. "The Metropolitan Opera Performs 18 Operas in the 2023-2024 Season." Earth and Space News. Monday, Aug. 21, 2023.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2023/08/the-metropolitan-opera-performs-18.html

Marriner, Derdriu. "Metropolitan Opera Revives 12 Productions in 2023-2024 Season." Earth and Space News. Monday, Aug. 28, 2023.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2023/08/metropolitan-opera-revives-12.html

Marriner, Derdriu. "Music Director Emeritus James Levine Conducts Mozart and Verdi in 2017-2018." Earth and Space News. Monday, July 3, 2017.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2017/07/music-director-emeritus-james-levine.html

Marriner, Derdriu. "Saturday Matinee Broadcasts Include Six Special Programs in 2023-2024." Earth and Space News. Monday, Nov. 27, 2023.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2023/11/saturday-matinee-broadcasts-include-six.html

Marriner, Derdriu. "Verdi Requiem Is First 2017-2018 Saturday Matinee Broadcast Dec. 2." Earth and Space News. Monday, Nov. 27, 2017.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2017/11/verdi-requiem-is-first-2017-2018.html

Met Opera Chorus. "Last week, Donald Palumbo announced that this season will be his final full-time season as our Chorus Master. As we embark on this new season, we reflect on all he has brought to the opera house, his dedication and musicianship, and above all his hard work. Over the past 17 seasons Maestro Palumbo has meticulously built the Metropolitan Opera Chorus into the best opera and symphonic chorus in the world. Each of us have our own story of the day we entered this amazing group of singers, and together we have cultivated a sound, a flexibility, and a skill set that is unmatched in the world. We are grateful to Maestro Palumbo for his leadership and tireless work with our group and we hope you join us in wishing him the best in his final season at The Metropolitan Opera. This meticulous and thorough preparation will be in evidence tonight as we sing our first Verdi Requiem of the season. There are only three performances, and there are just a few tickets left for tonight. We have an outstanding quartet of soloists in Leah Hawkins, Karen Cargill, Matthew Polenzani, and Dmitri Belosselskiy. And our Music Director Maestro Yannick Nezet-Seguin conducts us along with the peerless Met Orchestra. Please join us in person or listen live on SiriusXM station 355 at 7:00pm." Facebook. Sep. 27, 2023.
Available via Facebook @ https://www.facebook.com/MetOperaChorus/posts/864793981670473

The Metropolitan Opera. "Met Chorus Master Donald Palumbo to step down after almost 20 years." The Metropolitan Opera > About > Press Releases. Sep. 18, 2023.
Available @ https://www.metopera.org/about/press-releases/met-chorus-master-donald-palumbo--to-step-down-after-almost-20-years/

The Metropolitan Opera. "The Metropolitan Opera announces its 2023–24 season, with the most new works in the company’s modern history." The Metropolitan Opera > About > Press Releases. Feb. 22, 2023.
Available @ https://www.metopera.org/about/press-releases/the-metropolitan-opera-announces-its-202324-season-with-the-most-new-works-in-the-companys-modern-history/

"Metropolitan Opera Premiere, New Production: Verdi Requiem." MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 26100. Metropolitan Opera Premiere, New Production Verdi Requiem Mass Ninth Grand Sunday Night Concert Metropolitan Opera House, Sun, February 17, 1901. Verdi Requiem Mass (1) Giuseppe Verdi.
Available via Facebook @ https://archives.metopera.org/MetOperaSearch/record.jsp?dockey=0359479

Tompkins, Eugene. The History of the Boston Theatre, 1854-1901. Compiled with the assistance of Quincy Kilby. Boston and New York: Houghton Mifflin and Company; Cambridge: The Riverside Press, 1908.
Available via Internet Archive @ https://archive.org/details/historyofbostont00tomp/

Yannick Nezet-Seguin. "Home sweet home in Montreal, finding purr-fect harmony with my feline friend before a week of music and magic! 'Home sweet home' à Montréal, je retrouve l’harmonie parrrrrrfaite avec mes amis les chats avant une semaine de musique et de magie!⁣" Facebook. Sep. 23, 2023.
Available via Facebook @ https://www.facebook.com/yannicknezetseguinofficial/posts/861540512002568
Available via Facebook @ https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=861540502002569&set=pb.100044398810534.-2207520000