# Fauré: Requiem in D minor, op. 48



## BrahmsWasAGreatMelodist (Jan 13, 2019)

Fauré's Requiem is currently on the seventh tier of the Talk Classical community's favorite and most highly recommended works, making it the highest rated work by Fauré and tied with Brahms's "Ein deutsches Requiem" for the second highest rated requiem, behind Mozart's. Wikipedia has an article which provides a nice overview of the work.

*What do you guys think about this work? Do you have any reservations about it? What are your favorite recordings?*

Personally, this might be my favorite requiem, and potentially even my favorite choral work. I like its relatively sparse writing; the interactions between lines shines through and every note has a purpose. The counterpoint in this piece is quite effective though never virtuosic, the melodies are attractive, and the harmonies and textures are poignant but balanced and never over-saturated. The use of recurring motifs and cyclical form, though not an entirely dominant feature of the work, is elegantly handled throughout and provides a sense of unity to the seemingly disparate characters of many of the movements. To me, it's one of those glorious works where every single movement is a "highlight". If I had to choose a favorite, I'd probably go with the "Agnus Dei"; I particularly love the reprise of the intro (and the buildup into it!) and the final transition into D major towards the end of the movement. But, again, I could just as easily go with any other movement as my favorite. This is really an incredible work; it's amazing to me how a piece about death can be so uplifting and accessible yet also so emotionally intense and profound. Although there are other works by Faure that I consider to be just as good (e.g. the second Piano Quintet), this one, for its scope and scale, certainly deserves the title of his "magnum opus".


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## Rogerx (Apr 27, 2018)

We do have a same kind of thread in the religious section.
Gabriel Fauré's Requiem


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## violadude (May 2, 2011)

I sang the tenor part for the Kyrie and the Agnus Dei movements at music camp once. It’s one of my favorite Requiems too and I agree with everything you said about it. The main melody of the Agnus Dei movement is really unique.


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## science (Oct 14, 2010)

The results of Trout's survey of recommendations of recordings of this work surprised me:



> 1.	Rutter (cond.), Ashton, Varcoe, Standage, Cambridge Singers, City of London Sinfonia	(1984)
> 2.	Cluytens (cond.), De Los Angeles, Fischer-Dieskau, Puig-Roget, Paris Conservatoire Orchestra, Elisabeth Brasseur Chorus	(1963)
> 3.	Herreweghe (cond.), Zomer, Genz, La Chapelle Royale Paris, Collegium Vocale, Champs-Élysées Orchestra	(2002)
> 4.	Willcocks (cond.), Chilcott, Case, Wells, Philharmonia Orchestra, Cambridge King's College Choir (1967)
> ...


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## Allegro Con Brio (Jan 3, 2020)

This is undoubtedly one of my top 3 Requiems, alongside Dvorak and Brahms. It has an irresistable French elegance and economy that draws me to it again and again. It was also groundbreaking in that it treated the Requiem setting as a gentle, intimate consolation for the grieving (Brahms had done this, but not with the Requiem text) instead of focusing on the aspect of divine judgment- no "Dies Irae" or "Rex Tremendae" here. Faure instead uses simple yet deeply poignant melodies, hauntingly sparse and almost Renaissance-like vocal writing, and subtle textural shifts to craft a work of pure beauty. I've heard a few versions, but I don't see how they can get any better than Rutter. Herreweghe (I think he has two recordings) has a popular one, and I remember the singing being beautiful, but I was disappointed by the reserved forces and the use of the chamber organ instead of the grand instrument.


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## Vincent3 (Jan 22, 2020)

It's high on my list of favorite classical works. It has been a while since I listened to it (I have the Atlanta, cond. Shaw performance), so I'll listen to it today.


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## 20centrfuge (Apr 13, 2007)

I love the mariner/ASMF recording. It is flawless and I am surprised it hasn't been mentioned.


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## Enthusiast (Mar 5, 2016)

Is it one of those few works where skilled and pleasant sounding singers and players can't go wrong? I don't think I have heard one I didn't like. Does anyone have a nomination for a bad one? 

I do think the Herreweghe recordings go the extra mile, though, and I like the Tenebrae one.


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