“Perhaps my instinct led me to stray from the established path after all those years accompanying funerals! I’d had them up to here. I wanted to do something different.”
- Gabriel Fauré
Fauré certainly did manage to do something different with his Requiem, op.48 (1885-1890), performed here by the combined forces of the St Gabriel’s Church Choir and PMF’s Pimlico Chorus. This setting of the Catholic Mass for the dead - traditionally offered for the repose of departed souls - has earned a place among the great Requiems of Mozart, Verdi, and others as an enigmatic classic of the genre. Whilst he had an obvious choice to delve into the morose, Fauré chose instead to communicate hope; pertinently, we'll be performing this at the start of Springtime.
For PMF's interpretation, the Chorus will come together with St Gabriel's Church Choir for the very first time to form a booming 70-strong group worthy of the Requiem. They'll be accompanied by professional soloists and a chamber orchestra. Expect a high-calibre, majestic performance in the intimate venue of St Gabriel's Church - a long-standing partner of PMF’s, with a strong musical tradition and excellent acoustics.
