| Requiem | |
|---|---|
| byAndrew Lloyd Webber | |
| Text | Requiem |
| Language | Latin |
| Dedication | memory ofWilliam Lloyd Webber |
| Performed | 24 February 1985; 40 years ago (1985-02-24) |
| Scoring |
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Andrew Lloyd Webber'sRequiem is arequiem mass, which premiered in 1985. It was written in memory of the composer's father,William Lloyd Webber, who died in 1982.
It was a new venture for Lloyd Webber, the composer of numerousmusicals, to create a piece of traditional classical music. The music mixes Lloyd Webber's melodic and pop-oriented style with more complex, sophisticated, and at times even austere forms.
An initial draft of Requiem was heard during the 1984Sydmonton Festival, after which Lloyd Webber spent an additional half-year polishing the work.[1] The premiere took place on 24 February 1985 inSt. Thomas Church, New York;[2] the conductor wasLorin Maazel, and the three soloists werePlácido Domingo,Sarah Brightman (Lloyd Webber's wife at the time), andPaul Miles-Kingston.
Requiem won the 1986Grammy Award for Best Classical Contemporary Composition.[2] The most popular segment of Requiem has been the Pie Jesu, which became a hit single and has been recorded by numerous artists.
On 20 July 2013,Lorin Maazel revisited Requiem at theCastleton Festival. Featured performers were sopranoJoyce El-Khoury, tenor Tyler Nelson, and treble Tommy Richman.[3]
Since then the work has been rarely, if ever, performed live.
The best-known part of Lloyd Webber's Requiem, the "Pie Jesu" segment, combines the traditional Pie Jesu text with that of theAgnus Dei from later in the standardRequiem Mass. It was originally performed bySarah Brightman, who premiered the selection in 1985 in a duet with boy sopranoPaul Miles-Kingston; a music video of their duet was created as well.[4] The performance by Brightman and Miles-Kingston was a certified Silver hit in the UK in 1985.[5] Brightman later rerecorded the track for herClassics album in 2001.
Pie Jesu has since been recorded frequently outside of the parent Requiem. Notable solo artists includeSarah Brightman,Hayley Westenra,Sissel Kyrkjebø,Marie Osmond,Anna Netrebko,Amira Willighagen,Michelle Bass,Aled Jones andMalakai Bayoh.Charlotte Church sang it on her best-selling debut album,Voice of an Angel (1998).Angelis, a children's choir, sang it on their eponymous debut albumAngelis (2006).Moe Koffman recorded the Pie Jesu on his re-issued albumMusic for the Night (1991) withDoug Riley.
The Pie Jesu was voted number 91 in theClassic 100 Twentieth Century countdown in 2011 on the Australian ABC Classic FM radio station.
The work is scored for chorus, three soloists (tenor,soprano,treble) and a large orchestra that includesorgan,drum kit, andsynthesizer.
As is usual, Lloyd Webber did not set theGradual andTract texts of the Mass. He divides theSanctus between two movements, including the Hosanna part with the Benedictus. He does not set theAgnus Dei separately, but rather combined the text of Pie Jesu, amotet derived from the final couplet of the usualDies irae, with that of the Agnus Dei, commonly heard later in the standardRequiem Mass. He includes a text from the burial service,Libera me.
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