Rutter's Requiem

Rutter composed his Requiem in 1985, following a personal bereavement. He was 'influenced and inspired' by Fauré's Requiem - 'intimate rather than grandiose, contemplative and lyric rather than dramatic, and ultimately moving towards the light rather than darkness.' Whilst he describes it as a concert piece rather than a liturgical one, he says he hopes 'it feels at home in church'.

Rutter employs sections of Gregorian chant in the Agnus Dei, and briefly in the Lux Aeterna. He compares the overall structure to an arch, with the general prayers of the first movement, Requiem Aeternam, and the last, Lux Aeterna, both traditional texts, as the supports; the second and sixth movements (Out of the Deep and The Lord is My Shepherd, respectively) at the beginning of the arch; the personal prayers to Christ of the third and fifth movements (Pie Jesu and Agnus Dei) ascending into the arch; and the fourth movement, Sanctus, as the keystone, both "celebratory and affirmative".

This concert also features the debut performance of the vocal ensemble Ebb & Flow, which was formed by Anne Haslam and Patrick Brennan earlier this year.