When Giuseppe Verdi’s beloved friend, Alessandro Manzoni died, he composed a requiem to honour his memory. What emerged out of his sorrow is one of the most powerful works for orchestra and voice ever written. Verdi’s gift for dramatic writing is on full display in this remarkable score for almost a hundred musicians and a chorus of over sixty singers. Asking the grand questions of life, it takes the audience on an intense musical journey from the depths of profound despair to ecstatic hope – a transcendent work, once experienced, never forgotten. The Cracovian Opera performed it for the first time in 2010 and it is delighted to bring this performance again to audiences in Cracow and Auschwitz this month. The cast includes: Katarzyna Oleś-Blacha (soprano), Anna Lubańska (alto), Mihail Mihaylov (tenor) and Wołodymyr Pańkiw (bass). The soloists are accompanied by the Opera Choir and Orchestra led by Tomasz Tokarczyk.