St Mary’s Cathedral, Nov 7, 8pm: Maurice Duruflé: Requiem

Concert title – Maurice Duruflé: Requiem

Concert date – Saturday November 7th 2015

Venue – St Mary’s Cathedral, 164 Harrington Street, Hobart

Start time – 8:00 pm

Ticket sales – Centertainment, 53 Elizabeth Mall, Hobart, ph 6234 5998, www.centertainment.com.au

Ticket prices – $45; $36 concession

Organ – Oliver Brett
Soprano – Jane Edwards
Conductor – Andrew Bainbridge
Choir – Allegri Ensemble

PROGRAM

Poulenc Litanies à la Vierge Noire (1936)
Duruflé Quatre Motets (1960) (Ubi caritas, Tota pulchra es, Tu es Petrus, Tantum Ergo)
Duruflé Selected organ works
Duruflé Requiem

Maurice Duruflé (1902 – 1986) was a student of Paul Dukas at the Paris Conservatoire. He was a perfectionist in his composition, and left only a handful of works published. His Requiem, published in 1947, requires modest forces, and has some parallels with Fauré’s work. Much of Duruflé’s melody is based on the plainsong “Mass for the Dead”, with a virtuosic organ accompaniment. This work has not been presented in Hobart for nearly 20 years.

The Four Motets based on Gregorian themes were written in 1960, and are impressionistic settings of the original melodies.

Around half of Duruflé’s published output was organ music, technically challenging, and infused with the Roman Catholicism which compelled Duruflé in all his compositions. The organ and acoustic at St Mary’s Cathedral make an ideal setting for these works.

Francis Poulenc (1899 – 1963) wrote his Litanies in a week after a visit to the shrine of Notre Dame de Rocamadour in 1936. Set for women’s voices and organ, this was a deeply personal work which symbolised his revived Catholic faith, dormant since his father’s death in 1917.

Allegri Ensemble is joined by Hobart soprano Jane Edwards, who has graciously stepped out of retirement to perform the Pie Jesu in the Requiem; and organist Oliver Brett. Oliver is currently Assistant Director of Music at St Mary’s Cathedral, Sydney, prior to which he was Assistant Organist at Durham Cathedral, and Organ Scholar at King’s College, Cambridge. He has performed as a soloist and accompanist across five continents: we are very pleased to welcome him on his first visit to Hobart.

Visit www.allegriensemble.com
Caroline Miller Allegri Ensemble