Durufle Requiem

Maurice Duruflé’s Requiem is modelled on that of his French compatriot, Gabriel Fauré, in that it sets the identical text, and creates a similarly subdued, ethereal atmosphere. But Duruflé’s Requiem stands on its own as a spellbinding fusion of plainsong themes from the Mass for the Dead with choral polyphony and orchestration. The Messa da Requiem of the Italian Ildebrando Pizzetti employs neo-Renaissance techniques to the text of the Requiem Mass, and exemplifies the transition in Italian sacred music from the 19th to the early 20th century.

The concert also features the preview of extracts from War’s Embers a work commissioned by St George’s Singers as part of the ‘Whittingham Asylum Project’.

Whittingham Lives’, is a two-year arts and heritage project, supported by the Heritage Lottery, to explore the culture and legacy of Whittingham Asylum in Preston, from its beginnings in the 1850s to its closure and demolition in 2016. Music played an enormous part in the lives of both patients and staff at Whittingham, and as part of this important heritage project, St George’s Singers has commissioned a choral piece on the theme of madness. Composed by Sasha Johnson Manning, Wars Embers sets to music the words of Ivor Gurney, musician and First World War poet, who suffered from mental illness for many years before his death in 1937. 

Event date: 
Saturday, 23 June 2018 - 7:30pm to 9:45pm
Ticket Prices: 
£15. £12 concessions, £4 students/children
Location: 
St George's Church
Buxton Road
SK2 6NU Stockport
United Kingdom