Verdi Requiem with Barts Choir
Hear one of the great masterpieces of Western music and a core piece of the choral repertoire, whose power to move and shake remains undiminished.
Despite being initially attacked as ‘an opera in church clothing’ and dividing the critics, Verdi’s Requiem quickly established its place on the concert platform.
From the hushed opening, to the terrifying cries of the ‘Dies Irae’, to the final prayer for deliverance, Verdi put a lifetime of artistic experience to the service of what he wanted to say.
He had seen the formative events of the creation of modern Italy first hand and his music had come to symbolise and inspire Italian nationalism.
So for him, the Requiem was a human drama as much as a religious one – except that here the protagonists are not stage characters battling each other or fate, but real people – the performers themselves, soloists, chorus and orchestra – responding to the ‘four last things’ of Catholic teaching: death, judgement, heaven and hell.
The result is one of the great masterpieces of Western music and a core piece in the choral repertoire, whose power to move and shake remains undiminished more than 150 years from its first performance.
Performers
Philharmonia Orchestra
Ivor Setterfield conductor
Elizabeth Findon soprano
Bethany Horak-Hallett mezzo-soprano
David Webb tenor
Thomas Mole bass
Barts Choir
Repertoire
Verdi: Requiem
Need to know
You can buy an exclusive box package for this event. More details of our Royal Festival Hall exclusive box package.
For your visit
This event is held at the Royal Festival Hall Southbank Centre
The Royal Festival Hall is open six days a week.
Tuesday – Sunday, 10am – 11pm
Monday, closed.
Plan your visit
The Royal Festival Hall is home to our largest auditorium as well as The Clore Ballroom, National Poetry Library, Members’ Lounge, Festival Bar & Kitchen, Ballroom Cafe and Skylon restaurant.
Getting here
Our address is Southbank Centre, Belvedere Road, London, SE1 8XX.
The nearest tube stations to us are Waterloo and Embankment; Waterloo is also the nearest train station. And more than 20 different London bus routes pass within 500 metres of our venues. More information on getting here by rail, road or river is available on our Getting here page.
We’re cash-free
Please note that we’re unable to accept cash payments across our venues.
Access
We’re working hard to remove barriers, so that our facilities and events can be accessible to as many people as possible.
All help points, toilets, performance and exhibition spaces at the Southbank Centre are accessible to all, as are the cafes, bars and restaurants. We also have excellent public transport links with step-free access.
All information about booking wheelchair spaces, step-free access, blue badge parking, access maps and guides and other help available whilst you’re here, including details about our Access Scheme, can be found on our Access page.
Food & drink
On Level 2 of our Royal Festival Hall you can grab a slice of life by the Thames with drinks and freshly made pizza at our Festival Bar & Kitchen which opens out onto our Riverside Terrace. You can grab a coffee and a slice of freshly made cake from our Ballroom Cafe. Or alternatively enjoy destination dining in the restaurant at Skylon.
From coffee to cocktails, filling favourites to fine dining, plus some of London’s best street food – it’s all here at the Southbank Centre.