John Rutter composed his Requiem in 1985, a work which received its premiere that October at Lovers’ Lane United Methodist Church, Dallas, Texas. It is music that, rather than setting the entirety of the Latin Mass for the Dead, pulls text from a variety of sources including the traditional Requiem Mass and the 1662 Book of Common Prayer. The tonalities of the work are gentle, yet eclectic. The composer once said he wanted to write music that his father would have liked, who passed away around the time this work was composed. It’s our Evening Masterwork on this Memorial Day, tonight at 7 on Classical WSMR 89.1 and 103.9.
Evening Masterworks: John Rutter's Requiem for May 27, 2024
