Riccardo Chailly unleashes the drama in rare Verdi choral works — album review

It is easy to forget that Verdi, most Italian of composers, wrote two works for London. The first was his early opera I masnadieri in 1847; the second the rarely performed Inno delle nazioni (“Hymn of the Nations”), a showpiece of the International Exhibition of 1862. By coincidence, both had their premieres at Her Majesty’s Theatre on Haymarket.

The “Hymn of the Nations” is exactly what it says, a hymn to peace between countries that combines anthems representing Britain, France and Italy. Like most pieces written for a specific occasion, it doesn’t bear much repeated listening, but Verdi delivers choral splendour on a grand scale (there were 250 voices at the premiere); in this Decca recording, Freddie De Tommaso is a more than creditable tenor soloist.

It is paired with the substantial Quattro pezzi sacri (“Four sacred pieces”). Assembled over more than a decade towards the end of Verdi’s life, these four choral movements offer a late but fascinating addition to his works.

Two of them, the “Ave Maria” and “Laudi alla Vergine Maria”, are for choir alone and in their polyphonic choral writing look back to the Italian Renaissance glory of Palestrina. The longer pair, the “Stabat Mater” and “Te Deum”, add an orchestra to summon hellfire and jubilation in the manner of Aida and the Requiem.

There is a lot of opera-house drama to be unleashed here and Riccardo Chailly, with Milan’s Orchestra and Chorus of Teatro alla Scala, does not hold back. Native Italian musicianship is as valuable here as it is in Verdi’s operas.

★★★★☆

‘Verdi: Inno delle nazioni and Quattro pezzi sacri’ is released by Decca