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Verdi conceived his masterpiece on a grand scale. It is as dramatic and powerful as any of his operas. Some critics were distressed at the overtly theatrical character of the music. Some called it sensational and irreligious, yet the most overtly dramatic moments also provide its most moving and even devout passages. The whirling tumult of the Dies irae or the majestic trumpet summons in the Tuba mirum convey a terrifying vision worthy of those from the Book of Revelation.

Whatever may have been written about it, audiences loved it and Brahms himself wrote that only a genius could have written such a work. It stands as an honest spiritual testament from a man who naturally conceived and described his experiences in powerful, direct and theatrical terms.

‘The Requiem shifts priorities between soloists, choir and musicians. The Requiem described as "a work of far-reaching and emotional magnitude" and by Classic FM as "in the 'blockbuster' category” hugely lived up to expectations and more, vibrating the very structure of the concert hall at times’