Fauré, Requiem

Among the sacred works that have become staples of the repertoire, Fauré's Requiem occupies a unique place. Far removed from the operatic or thunderous requiems of Mozart, Berlioz, Brahms, or Verdi, this is an intimate score, composed with modest means, yet possessing a distinctly French charm. Fauré clearly did not wish to outdo his illustrious predecessors, but rather to reflect his own era, when Parisian piety sought to be accessible to the faithful, and he undoubtedly aligns himself more closely with the recent requiems of Liszt and Saint-Saëns.

Created at the Madeleine church in 1888 for an architect's New Year's Eve celebration, this work, which (falsely) presents a confessional tone, quickly achieved considerable success in concert. "My Requiem ," he said, "has been said not to express the terror of death; someone called it a lullaby of death. But that is how I feel about death: as a happy deliverance, an aspiration to the happiness of the afterlife, rather than as a painful passage."

In this centenary year of Gabriel Fauré's death, it is only fitting to perform his most emblematic sacred work: the Requiem he composed at La Madeleine Church for the centenary of the execution of Louis XVI on January 21, 1893. Numerous performances followed worldwide, often in expanded versions for concert halls. Victor Jacob has chosen to perform the "church" version of this deeply inspired Requiem with chamber orchestra (without violins but with violas!), using the 1893 arrangement. He complements the program with sacred works by Rossini, Schubert, and Brahms, wonderfully showcasing the choristers, whom Fauré, as choirmaster of La Madeleine, particularly cherished. The Chorus and Orchestra of the Royal Opera of the Palace of Versailles provide a sublime setting for this collection of masterpieces…

Royal Opera Productions.

Program and cast

Isaure Brunner, Alexandre Adra*

Member of the Royal Opera Academy – Class of 2025/2027

Choir and Orchestra of the Royal Opera

Victor Jacob, Conductor