Introducing the Berlioz Requiem - 2

The second movement of the Berlioz Requiem is the "Dies Irae" - Berlioz takes a quite different approach to this iconic text than Mozart or Verdi.   Beginning quietly with a unison theme in the basses and cellos, he continues to present new themes layered on top of the old ones until a shattering climax is reach for the "Tuba mirum" - the sound of the trumpet at the day of judgment.

Invalides.jpg

The chapel of Saint-Louis des Invalides – 5 December 1837. The above engraving shows the funeral service for General Damrémont at which the Requiem was performed for the first time. The original copy of this engraving is in the Bibliothèque Nationale de France in Paris. (from the Hector Berlioz Website)