Bishopwearmouth Choral Society

A choral concert featuring works by Gabriel Faure - Requiem & Cantique de Jean Racine - and Cesar Franck - Panis Angelicus.

Originally composed in five movements, between 1887 and 1890, Fauré's Requiem is more contemplative and lyrical than others. It has been described asa 'lullaby of death'. Even the 'dies irae', the day of wrath, subsumed within the 'libera me', quickly gives way to an appeal to grant eternal rest. Indeed the texts of the libera me and in paradisum are taken from the book of burial rather than the liturgy of the requiem mass. Other, more subtle, changes to the texts include seeking deliverance for 'all souls departed' rather than the original 'all faithful souls departed'.

The Cantique de Jean Racine was written for a competition when Fauré was just 19. It won first prize! The composition was dedicated to César Franck, the composer of 'Panis Angelicus' which completes our choral offering.

'Panis Angelicus' is a verse from the hymn 'Sacris solemniis', which was written by Saint Thomas Aquinas for the Feast of Corpus Christi in the 13th century. Franck composed a Mass (Messe ä trois voix) dating from 1861 that incorporates the text but it is more often, as here, performed as a separate piece.