Requiem: The Souls Of The Righteous, the poignant piece by renowned royal composer and University of Aberdeen professor, Paul Mealor, will receive its Welsh premiere at St Augustine’s Church, Penarth on Sunday 24 November.
The composer, whose work Ubi Caritas was performed at the wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, said of his first Requiem: ‘It’s a big piece and it’s a big subject.’
Composed to mark the centenary of the end of the First World War, Professor Mealor spent more than two years working with poet Dr Grahame Davies, who has a successful track record in writing for distinguished composers, to create a ‘reflective and poignant tribute to peace’.
Reflecting on the piece, Professor Mealor said: ‘The librettist and I decided to write a piece that is in essence about peace and about reconciliation and the sacrifice that people made so that we can all live in peace. Those who fought in the war undoubtedly experienced horror and pain but through their letters, it is clear that they still managed to find
friendship and humanity and I felt it was important to have something pertinent and special to reflect this. The words by Dr Davies are outstandingly beautiful.’
The 40 minute composition blends the traditional mass for the dead with new poems by Dr Davies and features tolling bells and lilting strings throughout.
Requiem: The Souls Of The Righteous was first performed in Edinburgh last year and has subsequently been performed in America, Poland and Hong Kong and this month, the work will receive its Welsh Premiere.
Internationally acclaimed choir, Côr CF1, who recently performed with Take That on the last date of their Odyssey Tour at Cardiff’s Principality Stadium, will join forces with one of the UK’s leading independent professional orchestras, British Sinfonietta at St Augustine’s Church, Penarth on Sunday 24 November.
Conducted by Eilir Owen Griffiths, Artistic Director of International Choral Festival Wales, the evening will also feature works by Basler, Esenvalds, Lauridsen, Owen Griffiths, Rachmaninov, Vaughan and Whitacre.
The concert will be held at St Augustine’s Church, Penarth at 7.30pm on Sunday 24 November.
Tickets are £15 for adults and £5 for children under 16 years old, and can be purchased from corcf1.cymru
A special pre-performance talk will be held by Professor Mealor and Dr Davies at St Augustine’s Church at 6.30pm.
Funds raised from the concert will be donated to International Choral Festival Wales, of which Paul Mealor is Honorary President.