In my opinion, the Requiem mass is one of the most interesting liturgical texts in Catholicism and has provided the foundation for some of the greatest classical pieces ever written.
During my time with St. Paul's, I had the privilege to perform the amazing Requiems of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Gabriel Fauré, Maurice Duruflé, and Herbert Howells, and with each piece my interest grew. Eventually, it came to the point where I decided to take on this colossal challenge myself.
The interesting thing about this mass is that most of the movements are interchangeable. In the standard structure, there are nine separate movements. Many composers either split up or combine these sections, whereas other composers, like Howells, scrap nearly all of the standard text and replace them with other hymns. In any case, my work is modeled after the fourteen movement structure of the Mozart Requiem.
The piece is written for organ, eight part chorus, and four vocal soloists. In its entirety it is approximately 30 minutes long, flows through seven different keys, and is written entirely in Latin. To date, this is the largest choral work I've ever composed, as well as my personal favorite. It was originally planned to be performed by an select ensemble of musicians from San Diego at St. Paul's Cathedral, but due to venue and personnel issues beyond my control, it was put on hiatus. I would love to one day premiere it in concert, but that doesn't appear to be in the cards at the moment. |
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