Day 25: Fauré Requiem

Day 25: Fauré Requiem

I had so forgotten how sublimely peaceful this piece of music is! In fact, it started so quietly (and continued in that vein for most of the requiem) that I had to turn the volume on the CD player up! Either I’m getting deafer as I get older (always seem to have had a problem with my hearing) or I’ve been listening to too much loud music lately (could be that Hathern band, you know!)

Listening to this now, I can remember the first time I sang it, way back in the early 80s with the Charnwood Choral Society. Only done it a couple of times since then, with the Leicester Philharmonic Choir and the Nottingham Choral Trust, but I found I hadn’t even forgotten the words!

Of course, having said the requiem was quiet and peaceful throughout, the Dies Irae in Libera Me, does have some rather rousing passages, but this is quickly followed by In Paradisum, which starts with some high sopranos accompanied by gentle semi-quaver arpeggios. Apparently, the Libera Me was written separately from the rest of the work, and was intended as a stand-alone piece.

When I originally got to know the Fauré, I loved it – and I still do. Now, however, having sung a few more choral works, I can see similarities between this and the Rutter Requiem (which is another all-time favourite), almost as if the Rutter is an extension of the Fauré. I suppose that’s just musical development for you, and unless you’re a music critic or sitting listening critically to a selection of music, or studying music one probably doesn’t give it a moment’s thought. Anyway, I’m probably wrong, but this is just my opinion.

The recording that I listened to was the Royal PhilharmonicOrchestra with the London Symphony Chorus conducted by Richard Hickox. The soloists were Aled Jones and Stephen Roberts.