The New West Symphony will present Giuseppe Verdi’s Messa da Requiem on the next 2103/2014 Masterpiece Series concert this weekend, which comes to Santa Monica on Sunday.
New West Symphony music director Marcelo Lehninger will lead three performances of the program with soprano Lesley Leighton, mezzo-soprano Rebecca Ringle, tenor Casey Candebat and bass Raymond Aceto as guest soloists.
The New West Symphony Chorus and the Los Robles Master Chorale will supply the choral forces for the performances.
The first performance will take place tonight, March 21, 2014 at 8 pm at the Oxnard Performing Arts Center, located at 800 Hobson Way in Oxnard.
The program will be repeated on Saturday, March 22, 2014 at 8 pm at he Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza, located at 2100 Thousand Oaks Boulevard in Thousand Oaks.
The program will conclude with its final performance on Sunday, March 23, 2014 at 4 pm at Santa Monica’s Barnum Hall, located at 601 Pico Boulevard in Santa Monica.
Tickets are priced from $25 to $98 are available by phone, 9 am to 5 pm, Monday through Friday at 1-866-776-8400. Tickets are also available in person at the New West Symphony office, 9 am to 5 pm, Monday through Friday and through the Symphony web site at newwestsymphony.org, 24/7. Tickets are also available at the respective concert hall box offices.
Hear & Now Live
This lively and informative, pre-concert discussion about the music on the program begins at 7 pm on Friday and Saturday evenings and 3 pm on Sunday afternoon.The programs are free and open to ticket holders for the respective performances.
Giuseppe Verdi wrote his Messa da Requiem to commemorate the death, in 1873, of the great Italian writer Alessandro Manzoni, whom he venerated.
It is an operatic work of patriotism and humanism more than a religious work. Verdi conducted the premiere of the work in Milan’s San Carlo Cathedral on the first anniversary of Manzoni’s death, the only time he conducted it in a church. Like so many of Verdi’s operas, it was an instant success. Verdi immediately planned a tour of the work to the capitals of Europe where it was received with great enthusiasm. For complete program notes, Click Here.
About the Soloists
Soprano Lesley Leighton’s musical activities have taken her across the United States and abroad. A principal solo artist for more than two decades, she sang with many of the world’s most eminent conductors, including Pierre Boulez, Zubin Mehta, Lorin Maazel, Simon Rattle, Esa-Pekka Salonen, Gustavo Dudamel, Bramwell Tovey, Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos and Grant Gershon. For a complete biography, Click Here.
Mezzo-soprano Rebecca Ringle made her Metropolitan Opera main stage debut during the 2012/2013 season as Rosswisse in Richard Wagner’s Die Walküure. She returned to the Metropolitan Opera in 2013/2014 season for The Nose by Dmitri Shostakovich. She made her New York City Opera debut as Lola in Cavalleria Rusticana. Rebecca Ringle has appeared as a soloist with orchestras throughout the United States and in Europe. For a complete biography, Click Here.
Tenor Casey Candebat made his debut with the New West Symphony in the 2012/2013 season as the tenor soloist in Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony. He made his professional opera debut in 2007 with the New Orleans Opera in its production of La Bohème. For a complete biography, Click Here.
Bass Raymond Aceto has made numerous appearances with the Metropolitan Opera since his debut with the company in 1992. His most recent appearance, during the 2012/2013 season, was as the Commendatore in Mozart’s Don Giovanni. He has appeared with all the major opera companies in the United States and with major companies in Europe. Mr. Aceto also appears as a soloist with orchestras throughout the United States. For a complete biography, Click Here.
