Maurice Duruflé’s beautiful Requiem – one of the best-loved of 20^th century choral masterpieces – performed live by the BBC Singers under conductor Lionel Sow.

Imagine a music that seems to exist outside of time. Deep tranquillity and profound emotion fuse to create a single, indefinable feeling, and ancient chants blossom like flowers into rich, shimmering harmonies. But words can’t really describe Maurice Duruflé’s beautiful Requiem: composed just after World War Two, it’s one of those pieces that quietly finds its way into your heart, and stays there forever. For Sofi Jeannin, chief conductor of the BBC Singers, it’s a real passion, and the centrepiece of an evening of music animated by that same transcendent spirit – a beautiful showcase for the BBC Singers’ “renowned pitch-perfect accuracy and radiance” (The Guardian).

Programme

Harris – Faire is the Heaven
Vaughan Williams – Serenade to Music (choral version)
Finzi – Lo, the full final sacrífice
Harris – Bring us, O Lord God
Tavener – Song for Athene
Interspersed with five short reflections by  contemporary women composers
Duruflé – Notre Pere, opus 14
Duruflé – Requiem

Performers

BBC Singers
Ashley Grote Organ
Lionel Sow Conductor