The scoring of Fauré's original (1888) version of the Requiem,
is extremely economical, depending largely on the restrained
and sombre colours of low strings and organ. Duruflé,
who was organist at St Etienne-du-Mont, Paris for the greater
part of his working life and was regarded as one of the leading
French organ virtuosi, wrote his Requiem Mass some sixty years
after Fauré. The reduced orchestral version for strings
and organ on this recording suits well New College Choir's
choral forces of thirty boys and men - a choir similar
in size and composition to that which Fauré had at his
disposal at La Madeleine.
Recorded in New College Chapel 2-4 April 1990
Playing time : 67'50" DDD
Reviews
"The boys and men of New College, Oxford have certainly
done their utmost to give the listener a foretaste of heavenly
bliss. What particularly impressed me as I listened was the
feeling of ease, familiarity with the music and the lack of
strain of their performance"
The Gramophone
