Duruflé’s Requiem at Southwell Minster
February 8, 2025 @ 7:30 pm - 9:30 pm
£10 – £40
Vaughan Williams | Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis
Poulenc | Organ Concerto
Duruflé | Requiem
Matthew Kofi Waldren | conductor
Paul Provost | organ
Hannah Morley | mezzo-soprano
Felix Kemp | baritone
Southwell Minster Cathedral Choir
Coventry Cathedral Choir
Derby Cathedral Choir
Leicester Cathedral Choir
Duruflé’s Requiem
Maurice Duruflé’s Requiem is a sublime choral work and a powerful journey through many traditions of sacred music. Written in 1947, it is a relatively recent setting of the Latin Requiem, but has a timeless quality built on its incorporation of Gregorian chant. For this concert at historic Southwell Minster, the orchestra will be joined by choirs from regional cathedrals Southwell Minster, Derby Cathedral, Coventry and Leicester Cathedral for a impressive spectacle of the best of Midlands music-making.
Duruflé’s Requiem is complemented Poulenc’s Organ Concerto, which Duruflé himself performed as soloist at its premiere in 1939. We also perform Vaughan Williams’ Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis. This firm favourite of Classic FM listeners was written to be performed in a cathedral, and sounds twice as good live as it done on the radio. What better way to kick off the concert than immersing yourself in its mesmerising musical waves and swells.
Southwell Minster
Image shows the north and west of Southwell Minster, a cathedral in Nottinghamshire
Celebrating 140 years of Cathedral status in 2024, Southwell Minster is a 900 year-old place of worship and mother church of the Diocese of Southwell and Nottingham. Its striking Chapter House contains carvings known as The Leaves of Southwell, which are some of the finest examples of 13th century artwork in the country. Combining a trip to explore Southwell Minster with Durufle’s Requiem will be a fascinating way to spend a winter’s day in Nottinghamshire.
Saturday 8 February 2025, 7.30pm
Southwell Minster
Tickets £10 to £40
Running time: 1 hour 45 minutes