Faure: Requiem (with Bach - Partita, Chorales & Chaconna)

GRAMOPHONE AWARD FINALIST 2013: Choral

"[The Bach] doesn't quite work, and the sound is uneven, but the experiment is fascinating. Faure's Requiem, sensitively accompanied by the LSO Chamber Ensemble, is warmly performed, at once urgent and serene." The Observer, 25th November 2012

"This remarkable, moving disc makes ingenious juxtapositions both vertically and horizontally...It is astonishing to hear the chaconne with the beautifully fitting chorale accompaniment Thoene has arranged." Sunday Times, 16th December 2012

"it is a performance of extreme richness and opulence. Short's marvellously moulded phrases, long-drawn and exquisitely shaped...are vital elements in elevating this performance to the sublime. Not to be downplayed, however, is the exquisite singing of Tenebrae...In short, this is a devastatingly beautiful performance." Editor's Choice Gramophone Magazine, January 2013

LSO Live is delighted to renew its relationship with the magnificent Tenebrae choir, whose previous recordings on the label have included Berlioz' 'L'enfance du Christ' and Handel's 'Messiah'. As part of the 2011 City of London Festival, Tenebrae joined an ensemble from the LSO at St Paul's Cathedral for a performance of the Fauré Requiem, preceded by a selection of Bach's Chorales interspersed with Partitas performed by Gordan Nikolitch, leader of the LSO. The centrepiece of the programme was Helga Thoene's remarkable arrangement of Bach's choral themes with solo violin. The performance was restaged in May 2012 in the sublime acoustic of the Church of St Giles Cripplegate and recorded by LSO Live. The Fauré Requiem in D minor exists in three different versions, the John Rutter edition for chamber orchestra being performed here.

Following an Autumn tour of the USA, Tenebrae will perform a selection of Christmas concerts in December, followed by another tour of the USA in Spring 2013. Tenebrae sopranos will also feature in performances of 'Alice in Wonderland' at the Royal Opera House.