Among Verdi’s many compositions, as a work of sacred music, the Requiem remains unique. It was composed as a musical memorial for the Italian national poet Allessandro Manzoni, deeply admired by Verdi, and was first performed on the first anniversary of his death on 22 May 1874 in Milan Cathedral. The exploration of many extremes places Verdi’s tonal language with musical means wholly in the service of a dramatized liturgy. The edition is based on the autograph as the primary source and makes a...