Dvorak: Requiem/Symphony No. 9

Dvorak’s Requiem, which premiered in October, 1891, is a work rich in reference and association: it borrows conventions of text-setting from the Renaissance and the Baroque; it employes sophisticated techniques of form and orchestration developed during the Romantic era of music, and it evokes two millennia of ritual and belief. Based on the ancient Roman Catholic Mass for the Dead, the Requiem can be a daunting undertaking, needing the talents of a full orchestra, four soloists, and symphonic chrorus. Zdenek Macal and the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra provide a perfect support structure, wending their way masterfully through the many invocations of Dvorak’s motto theme.