And as in many requiem in the history of music, in my opinion, it brings the best out of the composers who choose to write or put such a text to music. YANNICK NEZET-SEGUIN: Well, Terry, as you just said, this is a piece that's very awe-inspiring, but also it's a piece that is very deep and has a lot of content which is not necessarily uplifting, in a way, immediately because, of course, it's the mass for the dead. Why did you choose to make this your inaugural piece? It was your first performance with the Philadelphia Orchestra as its music director. But when you conducted this, it was in 2012, and it was a celebratory performance. And it seems so fitting to hear a requiem now when every day there's a pandemic death count. I just want to say, it's a magnificent performance of Verdi's "Requiem," and it's such a really awe-inspiring piece. Yannick, it is so good to speak with you again. (SOUNDBITE OF YANNICK NEZET-SEGUIN AND PHILADELPHIA ORCHESTRA PERFORMANCE OF GIUSEPPE VERDI'S "REQUIEM") From Verdi's "Requiem," this is the "Tuba Mirum" section of the movement called "Dies Irae," which translates to the day of wrath. We'll start with some of Yannick's first performance as music director of the Philadelphia Orchestra. He became the third music director of the Metropolitan Opera in 2018 and became the Philadelphia Orchestra's eighth music director in 2012. He's also been a guest conductor at orchestras around the world and was the music director of the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra. He grew up in Montreal and continues to return there to conduct. Yannick is a young, charismatic conductor committed to interpreting classic works and presenting new adventurous music. Our station, WHYY, streamed the performance in July, which gave Terry the chance to talk to Yannick again about his life during the pandemic and why he chose this stirring piece to begin his work in Philadelphia. The "Requiem" is a choral masterpiece featuring the orchestra, four solo performers and a full choir.
He chose to perform the "Requiem" for his inaugural concert as the music director in Philadelphia in 2012. He leads two of the world's great music institutions - the Metropolitan Opera and the Philadelphia Orchestra. We're going to listen to and hear about a beautiful and awe-inspiring piece of music, Verdi's "Requiem," with our guest, conductor Yannick Nezet-Seguin. I'm Dave Davies, in today for Terry Gross.
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