This imposing Messa da Requiem was given in memory of the Russian baritone Dmitri Hvorostovsky, just a month after his untimely death at the age of 55. It’s undeniably slow, but the 80-year-old Yuri Temirkanov marshals his forces and moulds a powerful performance. Of the four soloists, the standout is Azerbaijani soprano Dinara Alieva, who imbues her Libera Me with passion and tenderness, and it feels so right for the occasion. The magnificent Chorus of the Bolshoi Theatre and superb St. Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra give their best in the striking setting, amid mountains of flowers, of the Grand Hall of the St. Petersburg Philharmonia.