Choral Classics: ‘Requiem’ for Dying Matters Awareness Week
Sunday 05 May 2024
3:15 pm - 4:00 pm
Performed by St Martin’s Voices
Directed by Michael John Trotta and Olivia Tait
Unique in its ability to bring death and dying into the public conversation, the Requiem Mass has captivated the hearts and minds of all those who have experienced loss. On 3 May, American composer Michael John Trotta, one of the most exciting and prominent new composers of choral music, releases his seventh album, Requiem.
Trotta’s father passed away unexpectedly when he was seven, and music became his solace. He said: I spent a great deal of time playing and singing at funerals and fell in love with the choral masterworks of the genre: the gravitas of Brahms, the drama of Verdi, the tenderness of Faure and the juxtaposition of old and new in the Durufle. Having heard the words of the funeral liturgy (Requiem) so many times, it felt like a conversation between two voices: hope and fear, represented by the original chant motives of Requiem (rest) and Dies Irae (fear). This was healing for me.
A beautiful 45-minute Choral Classics, featuring a number of the tracks from Requiem, is being performed by St Martin’s Voices at St Martin-in-the-Fields on Sunday 5 May from 3:15pm.
This concert will be live streamed at: stmartins.digital
Choral Classics is FREE to attend and all are welcome. A retiring collection is taken to support the work of St Martin-in-the-Fields.
Share this event
Other things to do
Choral Classics: Ave Maria
1:30 pm - 2:00 pm
A beautiful 30 minute sequence of words and music, exploring much-loved choral repertoire.
SANSARA: Arvo Pärt at Passiontide
7:30 pm - 9:30 pm
Choral classics by Arvo Pärt meet the haunting beauty of Tudor composer Robert White, as SANSARA and the viol consort Fretwork mark Passiontide at St Martin-in-the-Fields.
The Gesualdo Six: Lux Aeterna
7:30 pm - 9:30 pm
Holy Week is a poignant moment in the year, and grief touches all of us at some point during our lives, affecting each person differently. This beautiful programme explores mourning and loss, uncertainty and hope.
Tenebrae: Tallis Lamentations for Holy Week
7:30 pm - 9:30 pm
It’s Easter at St Martin’s and Tenebrae stands vigil at the foot of the Cross. Ageless music of agony and ecstasy by Byrd, Poulenc, Tallis and MacMillan.
English Baroque Soloists - Mozart Double Piano Concerto
7:30 pm - 9:30 pm
Expect joyful performances in the hands of Maria João Pires and Kristian Bezuidenhout, two of the finest pianists of our time.