Mainstage in Concert

Requiem: Grande Messe des Morts

By Hector Berlioz

When the French government commissioned him to write a requiem mass for the anniversary of the 1830 July Revolution, Berlioz’s completed Grande Messe des morts (the Requiem), Op. 5 in three months. The 1837 premiere is often considered the greatest success of his career, combining his extensive knowledge of French sacred music and acute dramatic sensibility to create a massive work of hypnotic power and impact for orchestra and chorus.

Berlioz was concerned that his music fit the performance space and, with the huge cathedral of St. Louis des Invalides in Paris in mind, his Requiem became a perfect example of his enormous architectural works.

He wanted to create a profound shared experience, such as “mankind gathered together on the last day,” he wrote, where the listener would be “shaken to the depths of his soul.” The 400-plus performers at the premiere would certainly have accomplished that.