“Devastingly beautiful… I have no hesitation in labelling this the very best Fauré Requiem on disc.”
Gramophone Magazine
Recordings
Fauré Requiem and Bach Partita No.2 in D
During the 2011 City of London Festival, Tenebrae joined a chamber ensemble from the London Symphony Orchestra at St Paul’s Cathedral for a performance of Fauré’s Requiem. The Requiem was preceded by a selection of Bach’s Chorales interspersed with his Partita in D minor, performed by Gordan Nikolitch, leader of the London Symphony Orchestra.
Fauré’s Requiem favours serenity, joy and liberation over the dread and terror employed by most composers in settings of the Mass of the Dead. By adopting a more comforting approach, he crafted music of astonishing beauty, in particular the Pie Jesu. Bach’s Partita for Violin No 2, with chorales interspersed, culminates in a reconstruction of the Ciaccona, highlighting the hidden chorale themes within this fascinating work.
- Release Date: 01 November 2012
- Record Label: LSO Live
- Catalogue Number: LSO0728
- Location of Recording: St Giles Cripplegate, London
- Total Running Time: 01:08:04
- View/Download Liner Notes
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Add individual tracks to your shopping cart by ticking their boxes in the table below.
| Buy | # | Title | Composer | Duration | Price | Listen |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ach Herr, laß dein lieb Engelein (Johannes-Passion BWV 245) | J. S. Bach | 02:09 | £ | Listen | |
| 2 | Partita No. 2 in D - Allemande (BWV 1004) | J. S. Bach | 03:29 | £ | Listen | |
| 3 | Partita No. 2 in D - Courante (BWV 1004) | J. S. Bach | 02:09 | £ | Listen | |
| 4 | Christ lag in Todesbanden (BWV 277i) | J. S. Bach | 01:18 | £ | Listen | |
| 5 | Partita No. 2 in D - Sarabande (BWV 1004) | J. S. Bach | 03:28 | £ | Listen | |
| 6 | Den Tod niemand zwingen kunnt (BWV 277ii) | J. S. Bach | 01:22 | £ | Listen | |
| 7 | Partita No. 2 in D - Gigue (BWV 1004) | J. S. Bach | 03:02 | £ | Listen | |
| 8 | Wenn ich einmal soll scheiden (Matthäus-Passion BWV 244) | J. S. Bach | 01:22 | £ | Listen | |
| 9 | Ciaccona with chorale themes (BWV 1004) | J. S. Bach | 13:08 | £ | Listen | |
| 10 | Requiem: Introït et Kyrie | Gabriel Fauré | 06:34 | £ | Listen | |
| 11 | Requiem: Offertoire | Gabriel Fauré | 08:15 | £ | Listen | |
| 12 | Requiem: Sanctus | Gabriel Fauré | 03:32 | £ | Listen | |
| 13 | Requiem: Pie Jesu | Gabriel Fauré | 03:31 | £ | Listen | |
| 14 | Requiem: Agnus Dei | Gabriel Fauré | 06:17 | £ | Listen | |
| 15 | Requiem: Libera me | Gabriel Fauré | 04:53 | £ | Listen | |
| 16 | Requiem: In Paradisum | Gabriel Fauré | 03:35 | £ | Listen |
“Devastingly beautiful… I have no hesitation in labelling this the very best Fauré Requiem on disc.”
Gramophone Magazine
My first choir has to be Nigel Short’s recording with Tenebrae. The choral singing is matchless…nothing surpasses the serene beauty of this performance.
The English choral tradition at its Zenith.
An ideal balance between transcendental calm and galvanising passion.
Richard Morrison – BBC Radio 3
“Choral music doesn’t get more magnificent than this.”
Classic FM
“…a unity that is compelling… simply mindblowing”
***** The Scotsman
“The choral singing from Tenebrae is exceptionally clear and pure in tone, but not at all bloodless as can be the case with choirs aiming for just these qualities in this particular work.”
International Record Review
“The singing of Tenebrae is marvellous here. Their blend is nothing short of sensational, and they fit the acoustic of St Giles’ Cripplegate as though it had been tailor made for them…perhaps the finest recorded performance of the Fauré Requiem I have come across”
MusicWeb International
“Choir and soloist… come together in the great Chaconne, to wrenching and compelling effect”
The Observer
“The singing of the 24 members of Tenebrae in this work is simply marvellous. Their impeccable intonation, perfect diction and precision convey the impression of a much larger choir”
Classical CD Choice (UK)
“Tenebrae is such an impressive vocal ensemble, and they avoid all the pitfalls of the cool, clean, clear school of chamber choir – full-blooded, passionate engagement with the dots and the texts”
BBC Radio 3 CD Review
“Imaginatif et beau”
Pizzicato (Luxembourg)
BBC Radio 3 ‘Building a Library’ chosen recording (July 2016)
Nominated: Gramophone Award (2013)
Classic FM’s Albums of the Year 2012
James Mallinson Nominated for the Producer of the Year Award, Classical, Grammys 2014
Recording of the Month, BBC Music Magazine
International Classical Music Awards Nomination 2014: Choral Works
Nigel’s Blog: May 2019
And so after a couple of unusually quiet months for Tenebrae we dived straight into our Holy Week Festival at St John’s, Smith Square, full of energy and purpose. This year the Festival had a focus on the wonderful and highly atmospheric mus... continued
Tenebrae Fauré Requiem is BBC Radio 3 record of choice
Tenebrae’s recording of the Fauré Requiem paired with Bach Partita no.2 in D minor and a selection of Bach chorales has been named Richard Morrison’s BBC Radio 3 Building a Library recommendation.
Broadcast on Satur... continued
Holy Week Festival 2017
Tenebrae is thrilled to introduce its inaugural Holy Week Festival, a partnership between the choir and St John’s Smith Square.
It has long been an aim of the choir to curate a series of concerts for Holy Week based around some of the most atmosp... continued
BBC Radio 3 Artist of the Week
Tenebrae is BBC Radio 3‘s Artist of the Week! Tune into Essential Classics at 11am every day this week to find out Sarah Walker’s choices from the choir’s award-winning discography. Amongst other items, this will include Tenebrae’s recordings of works by Fauré, Parry, Poulenc, Rachmaninov, Victoria and Joby Talbot’s Path of Miracles.