Fauré - Requiem: Choir of King's College, Cambridge/Cleobury

Sublime choral music from Fauré, in the hands of experts. Classic FM Drive Featured Album, 30 June 2014

In January this year, the Choir of King's College Cambridge collaborated with the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment to perform the first recording of a new reconstruction of the original complete liturgical performance of Fauré's Requiem. It employs a small orchestra of violas, cellos and basses, augmented by solo violin in one movement and brass in others. 

Under the direction of Stephen Cleobury, this is a faithful recreation of the 1889 premiere, even using the stops available to the original organist. 

This album came in at No.4 in Classic FM's Album of the Year 2014. See the full chart here > 

The Pie Jesu is beautifully sung by treble Tom Pickard, in his final year as a chorister at King's College school. The baritone solos are sung by Canadian baritone Gerald Finley, who attended King's as an undergraduate choral scholar. 

An unusual addition to the Requiem is the Messe Basse for high voices, sung by the 16 choristers of the choir.

A must listen shedding new light on an evergreen favourite.