Four Sacred Pieces | Hymn of the Nations - Chandos

the earliest version of La forza del destino,
Verdi had to prepare an Italian entry for the
London International Exhibition. Although
he generally refused to write ‘occasional
music’, in this case – probably because he was
being asked to represent Italy – he agreed. The
result was the Inno delle nazioni, to words
by Arrigo Boito, with whom he was still on
good terms. That friendship was soon to end
(Boito composed an Ode attacking earlier
types of opera, and Verdi took personal
umbrage), but their relationship improved
toward 1880, thanks to the intervention
of Giulio Ricordi, who brought the artists
together for the revision of Simon Boccanegra
(1881), as well as for the composition of Otello
(1887) and Falstaff (1893). The sorry story
of the Inno delle nazioni has been related by
Roberta Marvin, in her critical edition of the
work. The piece ultimately did not figure in
the official celebrations, but was performed
in London on 24 May 1862 to great acclaim.
Although it was performed with a soprano
soloist, this version is lost. Verdi originally
wrote his Cantica, as the piece was labelled,
for tenor (identified as a ‘Bardo’), and the
version with tenor, present in his autograph
manuscript, is recorded here. It includes an
orchestral introduction and chorus (‘Gloria
pei cieli altissimi’), impassioned recitation by
the soloist, and a beautiful melody (‘Signor,
che sulla terra’) for soloist and then chorus.
As the Cantica progresses, Verdi cites the
national anthems of England, France, and
Italy, then shows his skill by combining all
three in a contrapuntal tour de force.
Libera me, Domine
With the death in 1868 of Gioachino
Rossini, a composer whom Verdi respected,
but did not love, the composer from
Busseto decided to commission all the most
important composers of Italy to prepare a
composite Mass in memory of the Pesarese.
But he insisted that this made sense only
if the composition were performed on the
anniversary one year precisely after Rossini’s
death. When the city of Bologna proved
incapable of arranging the performance,
the project was abandoned, but Verdi had
assigned himself the task of composing the
final movement of the Requiem, the ‘Libera
me, Domine’, and he completed the work.
An autograph manuscript of his composition
exists in the collection of the Carrara-Verdi
family at Sant’Agata, and it was issued in
facsimile two decades ago, when the Istituto
di Studi Verdiani of Parma arranged for
an edition and performance of the entire
composite mass, and also the publication
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