In the sixth Ovation Series concerts of the NAC’s 2011-2012 season, soprano Adrianne Pieczonka, mezzo-soprano Allyson McHardy, tenor James Valenti, and bass baritone Eric Owens shine in a performance of Verdi’s Requiem. The concert, conducted by Pinchas Zukerman, also features the 160-voice Combined Ottawa Choruses (Ottawa Choral Society, Cantata Singers of Ottawa, Ottawa Festival Chorus, and Ewashko Singers) prepared by chorusmaster Duain Wolfe and associate chorusmaster Laurence Ewashko. Verdi’s Requiem is at 8 p.m. in the NAC’s Southam Hall on Wednesday May 30 and Thursday May 31, 2012.

FRIENDS OF THE NAC ORCHESTRA SILENT AUCTION
The Friends of the National Arts Centre Orchestra will be hosting a silent auction in the main foyer of the NAC on May 31. Bid on outstanding items from across Canada and around the world before the concert and for 20 minutes following the performance.
Proceeds from the auctions will benefit music education programs for young people.

Beloved for his operas, legendary Italian composer Giuseppe Verdi (1813-1901) also created one of the repertoire’s most enduring and spiritually moving concert works with the soulful Messa da Requiem, an 85-minute musical setting of the Roman Catholic Requiem (or funeral) Mass. A true and enduring masterpiece, Verdi’s Requiem is the composer’s only large-scale work not written for the stage. The Requiem was composed in memory of Alessandro Manzoni, an Italian poet and novelist much admired by Verdi. The first performance was in Milan on 22 May 1874.

As classical music critic John Terauds wrote in The Toronto Star (February 19, 2010), “Simply put, this is one of the most soul-stirring evenings anyone is likely to have…. Verdi’s Requiem is a masterpiece in how it sets the words to the traditional Latin Christian funeral rite into music that honestly portrays the complex emotions anyone has to deal with when losing someone they hold dear. The tears, the anger and the search for comfort and meaning are all contained in the words – and magnified in Verdi’s score, which is sweepingly operatic one moment, and powerfully intimate the next. The clarity and directness of this music should be as meaningful to a non-Christian as to a believer.”

Throughout the work, Verdi uses vigorous rhythms, sublime melodies, and dramatic contrasts — much as he did in his operas — to express the powerful emotions engendered by the text. The terrifying (and instantly recognizable) Dies irae that introduces the traditional sequence of the Latin funeral rite is repeated throughout for a sense of unity, which allows Verdi to explore the feelings of loss and sorrow as well as the human desire for forgiveness and mercy found in the intervening movements of the Requiem.

Dramatic and stunning, Canadian soprano Adrianne Pieczonka is hailed for her impeccably pure and iridescent voice. She began her career at Toronto’s Canadian Opera Company in 1988, and from 1989 to 2005, she established a hugely successful career in Europe, appearing on leading opera and concert stages. In addition to performances at New York’s Metropolitan Opera, the Vienna Staatsoper, Paris, Berlin, Munich Frankfurt, Los Angeles, and La Scala, Adrianne has appeared at some of Europe's finest summer festivals including Salzburg, Bayreuth, Glyndebourne and Lucerne. She now lives in Toronto.

Canadian mezzo-soprano Allyson McHardy‘s voice has been described as radiant, dusky, incandescent, and sumptuous; her presence on stages in Canada, the United States and France have drawn comments such as noble, spellbinding, charming and seductive. Allyson’s varied repertoire encompasses roles in the operas of Rossini, Handel, Verdi, Mozart, and Bizet. Her orchestral repertoire includes Das Lied von der Erde, Mozart’s Requiem, Bach’s Magnificat, Beethoven’s Missa Solemnis, and Elgar’s Dream of Gerontius, among many other works.
 
American tenor James Valenti has been hailed for a voice of Italianate beauty, handsome stage presence, ardent singing, and for his elegant musicianship in performances with the leading opera companies of the world. He studied at the Academy of Vocal Arts in Philadelphia and made his professional debut at the age of 25 as Rodolfo in La Bohème (Rome Opera). James has recorded for EMI/Virgin Classics with Angela Gheorghiu. Considered one of the brightest rising stars of his generation, James was the winner of the prestigious 2010 Richard Tucker Award and 2009 Maria Callas Award.

Acclaimed for his expansive voice and commanding stage presence, American bass-baritone Eric Owens is an esteemed interpreter of classic works and a champion of new music. Owens opened the 2010-2011 season of the Metropolitan Opera as Alberich in Das Rheingold in a new production by Robert Lepage, conducted by James Levine. On April 25, 2012, Anthony Tommasini wrote in The New York Times,  “Two singers from the cast will enter the annals of “Ring” greatness [including] the bass-baritone Eric Owens, for his chilling and uncommonly dignified Alberich.”

Verdi’s Requiem will be performed in Southam Hall of the National Arts Centre on Wednesday May 30 and Thursday May 31, 2012 at 8 p.m. Tickets are $20.45, $31.21, $42.51, $53.81, $64.57, $75.33, and $94.17, for adults and $11.38, $16.76, $22.41, $28.06, $33.44, $38.82, and $48.24 for students (upon presentation of a valid student ID card). Tickets are available at the NAC Box Office (in person) and through Ticketmaster (with surcharges) at 613-755-1111; Ticketmaster may also be accessed through the NAC’s website www.nac-cna.ca.

Subject to availability, full-time students (aged 13-29) with valid Trinity Live Rush™ membership (free registration at www.liverush.ca) may buy up to 2 tickets per performance at the discount price of $12 per ticket. Tickets are available online (www.nac-cna.ca) or at the NAC box office from 10 a.m. on the day before the performance until 6 p.m. on the day of the show or 2 hours before a matinee. Groups of 10 or more save 15% to 20% off regular ticket prices to all NAC Music, Theatre and Dance performances; to reserve your seats, call 613-947-7000, ext. 634 or e-mail grp@nac-cna.ca.

NAC ORCHESTRA CONCERTS ON DEMAND
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NAC Orchestra ‘Concerts on Demand’ -- the first such feature of its kind, anywhere in the world – is available 24 hours a day/7 days a week and features uninterrupted, commercial-free performances by the NAC Orchestra and acclaimed guest artists.
Each concert includes program notes and biographies of the artists. 9 concerts are currently available, and 7-10 new concerts per season will be added.
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For additional information, visit the NAC website at www.nac-cna.ca
 
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Information:  
Gerald Morris
Communications Officer, NAC Music
613-947-7000, ext. 335
[e-mail]  gerald.morris@nac-cna.ca