Ryedale Festival to perform Verdi’s Requiem at York Minster

Ryedale Festival will join with Manchester’s the Hallé Orchestra and Hallé Choir to perform Verdi’s Requiem in front of thousands at the historic location on October 29 from 7.30pm to 9pm.

Every year, the Ryedale Festival welcomes leading performers from all over the world to perform in and around the district.

Now in its 165th season, the Hallé ranks among the UK’s top symphonic ensembles.

The Hallé’s distinguished history of acclaimed performances includes over 70 concerts each year in The Bridgewater Hall, Manchester, around 40 concerts a year around Britain, international tours, frequent broadcasts and televised performances.

The performance will take place at the York Minster on October 29 from 7.30pm to 9pm (Image: Other)

The players in the Hallé are among the finest in the world and have come from 14 countries all over the world to work in Manchester.

At the York Minster, the orchestra and choir will deliver Verdi’s Requiem, which encompasses heaven and hell, fire and earth, darkness and light, religious grandeur and operatic drama.

Popular among both classical music fans and many others through its use in films, including Mad Max: Fury Road, the music is said to have an enduring power to move and inspire.

In a trilogy that previously saw Ryedale Festival collaborate with the Hallé Orchestra and Mark Elder to present Elgar’s Dream of Gerontius and Wagner’s Parsifal, Act 3, this concluding collaborative episode will include soloists Natalya Romaniw, Alice Coote, Thomas Atkins and James Platt performing alongside The Hallé Choir and Hallé Orchestra, conducted by Sir Mark Elder.

This performance will be dedicated to the memory of Dr Richard Shephard, former chairman of the Ryedale Festival, a lifelong friend of Sir Mark Elder, and former chamberlain and director of development at York Minster.

Christopher Glynn, artistic director of Ryedale Festival, said: “To hear Verdi’s Requiem live is one of the most moving and awe-inspiring experiences that classical music can offer.  To hear it performed by such stellar forces in the inspirational surroundings of York Minster is the kind of opportunity that comes along only rarely.

"I’m thrilled that the Ryedale Festival is able to promote this very special performance and dedicate it to the memory of Richard Shephard, a man remembered with deep affection in York and far beyond.”

Sir Mark Elder, conductor of the Hallé Orchestra (Image: Hannah Knox)

Sir Mark Elder, conductor of the Hallé Orchestra, said: “There are few pieces that have such an impact on audiences as Verdi’s astonishing Requiem. The power and originality of the piece always lingers in the memory, so I do hope you will join us for what is sure to be a special performance with a wonderful cast of singers.” 

Tickets for the event are priced at £50, £45, £40, £30, £20, and can be purchased online from ryedalefestival.com, over the phone on 01751 475777, or in person at the Ryedale Festival Box Office located in Memorial Hall, Potter Hill, Pickering, YO18 8AA.