Verdi’s Requiem is performed without chorus after a Covid infection

The Grafenegg Festival was forced to reconfigure its Verdi Requiem this weekend after a member of the Wiener Singverein tested positive for Covid-19, despite having a double vaccination.

The entire chorus was sent home.

The Requiem was performed without the Introit and Sanctus by the Tonkünstler Orchestra and conductor Yutaka Sado with soloists Krassimira Stoyanova, Clementine Margaine, Piotr Beczala and Rene Pape.

Michael Schade writes: I just heard my first ever performance of a Verdi Requiem WITHOUT a choir – fabulous Piotr Beczala and the amazing Rene Pape ( so great to run into these old friends!) and the ever young Kressimira Stoyanova – simply divine – the whole thing though, was unbelievable in many more ways than one- good Job Grafenegg Festival for keeping the performance alive, (did I mention it was the opening of the Festival?! – Wow hard luck!) despite the fact that due to a Covid case of one of the choristers yesterday , the choir was barred from performing