Born in 1760 in Florence, Luigi Cherubini moved to Paris aged 27 and lived there for the rest of his life, achieving enormous success as an opera composer before turning to religious music.
His Requiem in C minor was first performed in 1817 at a memorial service to commemorate the 24th anniversary of the execution of Louis XVI at the hands of the French Revolutionaries. Beethoven (who regarded Cherubini as the greatest composer of the age), Brahms, Berlioz and Schumann all greatly admired the work, and it was performed at Beethoven’s funeral in 1827. However, in 1834 the work was banned by the Archbishop of Paris because of its use of women’s voices, causing Cherubini to compose a second version for men’s voices only, and although during the 19th century his Requiem was regarded as on a par with Mozart’s, by the end of the century Cherubini was out of favour and the piece forgotten.
Rarely performed even now, the Requiem is a work of great beauty, with dramatic moments balanced by reflective passages. Unusual in that it requires no soloists, it is a joy to sing, and an ideal choice for a Singing Day.
Come and join the members of St George’s Singers for a great day of music-making!
Singing ticket prices include music hire (Peters Edition), morning coffee and afternoon tea (including cakes). Home-made soup and filled rolls will be available to purchase for lunch, price £5.
Programme for the day
9:30 Registration and coffee
10:15 Rehearsal
12:15 Lunch (staggered)
13:30 Rehearsal
15:00 Afternoon Tea
15:30 Rehearsal
17:00 Close
17:25 Assemble
17:30 Concert (duration approx. 45 mins, casual dress)
