Verdi's Requiem

Called “one of the most sublime and terrifying works in the repertoire” (NPR), Verdi’s Requiem is filled with transcendent moments from the ineffably sorrowful “Lacrymosa,” to the heavens-shaking final judgement of the “Dies irae,” to the hushed finale blessed by grace. The evening-length work features an all-star cast with soloists from the Metropolitan Opera stage alongside the Albany Pro Musica Chorus. Philadelphia Orchestra Music and Artistic Director Yannick Nézet-Séguin returns to lead the program, bringing the score to life with his masterful interpretation.

Program

Performers

Yannick Nézet-Séguin | conductor
Ailyn Perez* | soprano
Sasha Cooke | mezzo-soprano
Matthew Polenzani* | tenor
Alfred Walker* | bass-baritone
Albany Pro Musica | chorus 

*Indicates SPAC debut

In September 2018, Yannick Nézet-Séguin becomes the third Music Director of the Metropolitan Opera, New York. Music Director of the Philadelphia Orchestra since 2012, he becomes Artistic and Music Director in February 2023 and renews his contract until 2030. Music Director and Principal Conductor of the Orchestre Métropolitain of Montreal since 2000, he signs a contract “for life” in 2019. He is Honorary Conductor of the Rotterdams Philharmonisch Orkest after being their Music Director from 2008 to 2018. He is also Honorary Member of the Chamber Orchestra of Europe.

Yannick has worked with many leading European ensembles and enjoys close collaborations with Berliner Philharmoniker, Wiener Philharmoniker, Bayerischer Rundfunk Sinfonieorchester and Chamber Orchestra of Europe; between 2008 and 2014, he was also Principal Guest Conductor of London Philharmonic Orchestra. He has appeared many times at the BBC Proms and at many European festivals, among them Edinburgh, Lucerne, Salzburg and Grafenegg (Vienna). North American summer appearances include New York’s Mostly Mozart Festival, Lanaudiere, Vail and Saratoga along with Domaine Forget Festival in Charlevoix. With the Philadelphia Orchestra, he goes regularly to Carnegie Hall where he has been Perspectives Artist in 2019-2020. He also conducts master classes, notably at two of the most renowned institutions, the Curtis Institute of Philadelphia and the Julliard School of New York. In Quebec, he directs an academy of young conductors linked to the Orchestre Métropolitain, in close collaboration with the Domaine Forget Summer Festival.

Hailed by The New York Times as “a beautiful woman who commands the stage” and “a major soprano,” Ailyn Pérez is in demand at the world’s leading opera houses and cultural capitals. As Opera News observes, “The phrase ‘an embarrassment of riches’ might have been invented to describe the combination of talents that belong to Ailyn Pérez … who truly seems to have it all.”  Internationally celebrated for her signature artistry, as the winner of the 2012 Richard Tucker Award she became the first Hispanic recipient in the award’s history. 

Ailyn’s current season is highlighted by her eagerly awaited debut as Leonora in a new production of Verdi’s Il Trovatore at Houston Grand Opera. She returns to The Metropolitan Opera to reprise her signature role of Mimì in Puccini’s La Bohème, a performance she will also offer in a new production by Melanie Bacaling at the Lyric Opera of Chicago later in the spring. Additional operatic engagements include Cio-Cio-San in Puccini’s Madama Butterfly at the Gran Teatre del Liceu, the title role in Puccini’s Tosca at Staatsoper Berlin, and Nedda in Leoncavallo’s Pagliacci at the Bayerische Staatsoper. On the concert stage, she performs Mahler’s Symphony No. 2, “Resurrection” with the Jacksonville Symphony and Bizet’s Carmen in concert with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Jader Bignamini, celebrating the opera’s 150th anniversary. 

Two-time Grammy Award-winning mezzo-soprano Sasha Cooke has been called a “luminous standout” by the New York Times and “equal parts poise, radiance and elegant directness” by Opera News. Ms. Cooke has sung at the Metropolitan Opera, San Francisco Opera, English National Opera, Seattle Opera, Opéra National de Bordeaux, and Gran Teatre del Liceu, among others, and with over eighty symphony orchestras worldwide, frequently in the works of Mahler. This season, Ms. Cooke debuts at La Monnaie de Munt as Emilie Ekdahl in the world premiere of Fanny and Alexander, sings Marguerite in La Damnation de Faust at the Bard Festival, Brangäne in Tristan und Isolde at the Gstaad Festival, and returns to Houston Grand Opera as Venus in Francesca Zambello’s new production of Tannhäuser. On the concert stage, Ms. Cooke reprises much of her most celebrated repertoire joining orchestras such as the Vienna Symphoniker, San Francisco Symphony, St. Louis Symphony, Vienna Radio Symphony, Netherlands Radio Philharmonic, the Cologne Philharmonic, Tuscon Symphony Orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic, London Philharmonia, the Oslo Philharmonic, Orchestra dell’Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, and Slovenian Philharmonic Orchestra, collaborating with conductors such as Esa-Pekka Salonen, Marin Alsop, Cristian Macelaru, Gustavo Dudamel, Trevor Pinnock, Klaus Mäkelä, Gemma New, Karina Canellakis and Daniel Harding. In recital, Ms. Cooke returns to Wigmore Hall for a recital with pianist Malcolm Martineau, and Carnegie Hall for Shostakovitch’s From Jewish Folk Poetry with[pianist Evgeny Kissin. 

American tenor Matthew Polenzani is one of the most gifted and distinguished lyric tenors of his generation. His elegant musicianship, innate sense of style, dramatic commitment, and timeless artistry have established his continued presence at leading operatic, concert, and recital venues worldwide. Matthew Polenzani’s 2024/25 season is set to showcase his world-class talent across a variety of prominent theatres. He will first make a role debut as Maurizio in Adriana Lecouvreur at Teatro Real, and bring his acclaimed portrayal of Pinkerton in Puccini’s Madama Butterfly to Gran Teatre del Liceu. Returning to the Metropolitan Opera, Polenzani will star as Rodolfo in La Bohème and take on the role of Anatol in concert performances of Samuel Barber’s Vanessa at the Kennedy Center with the National Symphony Orchestra under Gianandrea Noseda. The season will also highlight his appearances in major titular roles, including Werther at Wiener Staatsoper, Otello at Staatsoper Stuttgart, and Idomeneo at San Francisco Opera. On the concert stage, Polenzani will present Franz Schubert’s Schwanengesang at Alice Tully Hall and offer recitals at the Hungarian State Opera and Oper Frankfurt. 

Matthew Polenzani was the recipient of the 2004 Richard Tucker Award, The Metropolitan Opera’s 2008 Beverly Sills Artist Award, and a 2017 Opera News Award. An avid golfer, he makes his home in suburban New York with his wife, mezzo-soprano Rosa Maria Pascarella, and their three sons. 

Lauded by Opera News for his “inky bass-baritone and clear projection ideally suited to the role, capturing this isolated man’s passion with telling grief,” in the 2024/25 season Alfred Walker returns the Lyric Opera of Chicago for Don Fernando in Fidelio, the Metropolitan Opera for further performances of Enobarbus in Adams’ Antony and Cleopatra, joins New Orleans Opera for the High Priest of Dagon in Samson et Dalila, returns to the title role in Der fliegende Holländer in his house debut with Irish National Opera, and sings Porgy in the suite from Porgy and Bess with the Cologne Philharmonie. Last season, he sang Enobarbus the European premiere of John Adams’ Antony and Cleopatra with Gran Teatre del Liceu, Orest in Elektra with Dallas Opera, returned to the Metropolitan Opera for Frere Laurant in Roméo et Juiliette and Rambaldo in La rondine. Mr. Walker recently joined San Francisco Opera as Enobarbus in the world premiere of John Adams’ Antony and Cleopatra, the Lyric Opera of Chicago as Vater in Hansel und Gretel, the Metropolitan Opera as Masetto in Don Giovanni, Detroit Opera for Amonasro in Aida, and returned to Bard Summerscape for the title role in Saint-Saëns’ Henry VIII. He also sang Rachmaninoff’s The Bells with the LA Philharmonic under Maestro Gustavo Dudamel, and joined the Boston Philharmonic for Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9. 

Albany Pro Musica (APM) is the preeminent choral ensemble in New York’s vibrant Capital Region, and is renowned for its exceptional technical competency, exquisite artistry, and purposeful programming that is relevant and meaningful in today’s society. Critically acclaimed for its performances of intimate a cappella pieces and large-scale choral works alike, APM typically offers four series concerts each season plus numerous special performances with distinguished local, national, and international partners, with a deliberately curated repertoire that includes classical masterpieces from the choral canon, new compositions from modern and contemporary composers, and popular selections from the worlds of Broadway, traditional, folk music and more. APM is led by Opalka Family Artistic Director Dr. José Daniel Flores-Caraballo and is Chorus-in-Residence at the historic Troy Savings Bank Music Hall. Now celebrating his tenth season with APM, Maestro Flores-Caraballo has led the organization since 2014 and has elevated the ensemble through ambitious programming, prestigious musical collaborations, a renewed commitment to civic and educational engagement, and a bold vision for the future. albanypromusica.org 

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