The Messa da Requiem has been described as Giuseppe Verdi’s only masterpiece not intended for the stage. Though perhaps best known for his operas Aida, Rigoletto, and La Traviata, among others, Verdi was prompted to take up the Catholic funeral mass form by the passing of revered Italian poet and novelist Alessandro Manzoni, whom the composer admired greatly. His powerful Requiem combines the drama of opera, the thrill of outstanding symphonic writing, and an abundance of virtuosic solo moments. In the words of Johannes Brahms, “Only a genius could have written such a work.”