Summary: Requiem in D minor (1855) is for soli, choir and orchestra. Despite his success in the operetta world, Suppé repeatedly strove to leave his mark in other, completely different, musical domains. We can see this especially in his sacred works, many of which he composed in his later years. The Requiem in D minor can be regarded as the apotheosis of his sacred oeuvre. He dedicated the work to his friend and mentor Franz Pokorny, who directed several theaters simultaneously (in Vienna, Baden, Oedenburg and Pressburg). In 1855, five years after Pokorny's death, Suppé completed the Requiem and had it performed in November of the same year at a commemorative mass in honor of his friend held at Vienna's Piarist Church. Although the work was performed several times over the next years and drew great acclaim from the public, it gradually became caught in the crossfire of the critics. The branded the Requiem "Italian style" as too operetta-like, and felt that the character of the piece was too cheerful and lacking in seriousness. Performed by the CMD German Opera Company of Berlin Conducted by Sylvia Wagner Purchase now at: http://www.classicalsavings.com/store/p479/Franz_von_Supp%C3%A9%3A_Requiem_in_D_minor.html
