Requiem in D minor, Op. 48

This is a requiem that does almost none of the things requiems usually do: it skips the fire-and-brimstone Dies irae almost entirely, and instead closes with In Paradisum, a serene text about angels leading the soul to paradise. Fauré reportedly described his view of death as 'a happy deliverance, an aspiration towards happiness,' and the seven movements of the work reflect that outlook, moving from the quiet, chant-influenced Introit through to a final chorus that ends with a clear, unhurried cadence. The one moment of real urgency comes in the sixth movement, Libera me, where the baritone soloist and choir deal with the Day of Judgment in music that is bolder and more assertive than anything else in the piece.

What to listen for

In the fourth movement, Pie Jesu, the solo soprano sings the melody almost entirely alone, accompanied mostly by the organ, with the texture stripped back to near silence around the voice. Then, in the Libera me that follows several movements later, notice how the baritone enters with a direct, plain-spoken line that the full choir then picks up in unison, a stark contrast to the gentler choral writing elsewhere. The final In Paradisum gives the melody entirely to the sopranos, with the male voices entering only at the word 'Jerusalem' near the close.

Recommended recording

Philippe Herreweghe's 1988 recording with La Chapelle Royale and Ensemble Musique Oblique, on Harmonia Mundi, has been frequently cited as the period-instrument reference point for the 1893 chamber version.

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