VERDI: REQUIEM Conducted by John Wade with The John Wade Singers and The Sheffield & District Masonic Choir with soloists: Barbara Lowe, Eleanor Fear, Keith Halliday and James Powell. Organist, Paul Green. MicLine digital CD, No. MLCD0030, £10.00 (£4.00 to Masonic Charity). Available from John Ganley, 21 Station Road, Barrow Hill, Chesterfield S43 2PG.

The most remarkable thing about Verdi’s Requiem is that it was written at all. The composer, a lifelong agnostic, had written nothing of a religious nature for 30 years until the death of Alessandro Manzoni, prompted him to produce a suitable tribute to that influential novelist. The work dates from 1847 by which time Verdi had already made his name in opera. No wonder the conductor Hans von Bulow described it as "an opera in ecclesiastical robes". Always intended for concert performance rather than for liturgical use, the first performance took place at the church of San Marco in Milan, the second at La Scala.
    Derby Cathedral hosted this recording by the Sheffield & District Masonic Choir and the John Wade Singers plus professional-standard soloists. Forsaking the orchestra Verdi originally intended, conductor John Wade called upon Paul Green at the Organ supplemented by a strong contingent of brass players and a tympanist to exploit the Cathedral’s acoustics and produce a satisfying rendering marked by an unusually wide dynamic, ranging from just above the threshold of audible sound right up to crashing fortissimos.
    These dramatic contrasts, damned by Verdi’s critics as too operatic for a Requiem, certainly contributed to a most rewarding experience for all those taking part and to a moving one for the listeners in the Cathedral. However, they may present a problem for the player of the disc within the confines of a sitting room or a car. Nevertheless, there is much delightful music to enjoy. Particularly effective is the opening Requiem and Kyrie which is well rounded and serves to introduce the Chorus and soloists accompanied by the Organ; the Tympani and Brass not appearing until the early part of the nine-section Dies Irae.
    Almost all the forces are employed in the well-modulated Sanctus which stood out for me as the most satisfactory portion towards the end of the 79 minute performance. Other highlights include the concluding Lux Aeterna where the Latin text is clearly enunciated and the Libera Me which serves as a musical summary and climax to this appealing work.
    David Sermon