Next Concert

Duruflé’s Requiem

Duruflé’s Requiem is regarded as one of the finest 20th century religious works and has come to be associated with the call for world peace. Composed in 1947 against the dark backdrop of the Second World War, the Requiem offers optimism and hope. It has a serene, contemplative, and peaceful atmosphere, with a focus on reassurance and hope rather than fear. Duruflé himself described it as expressing a “happy deliverance” from death, rather than a sorrowful passing.

Conducted by Rowan Harvey-Martin, the choir will be joined by baritone Rohan Thatcher, and soprano Sonia Amfiloff and accompanied by organist James Porteous and Clara Teniswood on cello.

Maurice Duruflé (1902–1986) was a composer and organist, recognised for his gifts, and a prominent figure in 20th century French music. His Requiem is probably the most famous of his works, just 14 in number. The rediscovery of plainchant was an influence in Duruflé’s formative years, and the Requiem is heavily influenced by it. Dedicated to the memory of his father, the Requiem started life as a series of organ pieces, but when the French publisher Durand commissioned a choral work, he used these organ pieces as the basis for this work. The structure and selection of movements and voices of his Requiem closely mirror that of Fauré’s Requiem, written some 60 years earlier.

At the Sunday 12 May concert, the program will also include Duruflé’s motet "Ubi caritas", Arvo Pärt’s The Beatitudes and songs for baritone and strings by Gerald Finzi.

Details about booking for both concerts will be available soon.

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