Everyone was amazed when the Italian opera genius Giuseppe Verdi suddenly presented his audience with a requiem. His monumental Messa da Requiem therefore does not simply belong in the traditional list of funeral masses. As a religious skeptic, Verdi speaks the language of the theater rather than that of the church in this work. Yet the result is verdi pur sang: the Dies Irae and Rex Tremendae are blistering chunks of energy, the four soloists provide a few intimate passages and the whole work slowly fades out in a tone of acute despair. Even in his operas, Verdi never crossed such a broad emotional spectrum in so few pages. Philippe Herreweghe lets the choir and orchestra shine in one of the great favorites from the choral repertoire.