Rutter's Requiem

This concert featured Central Coast Philharmonia performing John Rutter’s Requiem, a reflective choral work shaped by themes of loss, prayer and consolation.

John Rutter composed his Requiem in 1985 following a personal bereavement. He has acknowledged the influence of Fauré’s Requiem, describing his own work as “intimate rather than grandiose, contemplative and lyric rather than dramatic, and ultimately moving towards the light rather than darkness.” Although conceived as a concert piece rather than a liturgical setting, Rutter has said he hopes it “feels at home in church.”

The work incorporates elements of Gregorian chant, most notably in the Agnus Dei and briefly in the Lux Aeterna. Rutter describes the overall structure of the Requiem as an arch, with the opening Requiem Aeternam and closing Lux Aeterna forming the supports, both drawing on traditional texts.

The second and sixth movements (Out of the Deep and The Lord Is My Shepherd) establish the foundations of the arch, while the third and fifth movements (Pie Jesu and Agnus Dei) offer more personal prayers that rise toward its centre. The fourth movement, Sanctus, stands as the keystone of the work, described by the composer as both celebratory and affirmative.

This performance also featured the debut of the vocal ensemble Ebb & Flow, formed earlier in 2019 by Anne Haslam and Patrick Brennan.