Dies irae concertato

Pavesi's Dies irae concertato, composed in 1818, is a complete setting of the Dies irae text for chorus, soloists, and orchestra. The work is divided into nine set-numbers, five of which feature the chorus and four of which are solo arias (for soprano, tenor, alto, and bass in turn). Particularly impressive are the arias for tenor and bass, each of which features an instrumental obbligato line (for clarinet and viola, respectively). The opening “Dies irae” movement features a storm topos familiar from operas such as Gluck's Iphigénie en Tauride, Mozart's Idomeneo, and Cherubini's Eliza. The finale is exclusively devoted to the text “Amen,” opening with an extensive and highly-developed double fugue. The ensuing allegro resembles in expression the “dona nobis pacem” of the classical-era mass and provides a lieto fine to this extraordinary composition, perhaps the most significant piece of Italian church music to be composed between the Stabat mater settings of Boccherini (1800; rev. 1801) and Rossini (1833; rev. 1842). Winner of the MPA Paul Revere Award, 1998.