Gabriel Fauré originally wrote his Requiem for liturgical use and gave the work's premiere in 1888. In 1893 he added two movements, the Offertoire and the Libera me. The Requiem received its first performance in the form in which it's most familiar, scored for full orchestra, in 1900. John Rutter's 1985 recording was the first to use the 1893 version, which was scored for strings, harp, timpani, horns, trumpets, and organ. This version is essentially a chamber work, and Rutter scales the chorus down in size to match the ...
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Gabriel Fauré originally wrote his Requiem for liturgical use and gave the work's premiere in 1888. In 1893 he added two movements, the Offertoire and the Libera me. The Requiem received its first performance in the form in which it's most familiar, scored for full orchestra, in 1900. John Rutter's 1985 recording was the first to use the 1893 version, which was scored for strings, harp, timpani, horns, trumpets, and organ. This version is essentially a chamber work, and Rutter scales the chorus down in size to match the intimacy of the orchestration. The result is a more austere-sounding work, but one whose clarity and purity are revealed with fresh insight. Rutter's performance is notable for its spare, clean linearity; it achieves plenty of feeling without the Romantic richness of the full orchestra. The Cambridge Singers, which he founded, and members of the City of London Sinfonia perform with discipline, tone that is pure and luminous, and lyrical intensity. It's an altogether radiant performance...
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