Duruflé’s Requiem & Poulenc’s Gloria

Duruflé and Poulenc make the perfect pairing. These two French composers – ‘mid-century moderns’ – are loved for their clean lines, elegance and directness, and their inventive ways of giving fresh life to old traditions.

Duruflé’s Requiem is a true choral classic, but mostly it’s performed with organ alone. In this concert, hear the original 1947 version, with a 60-piece orchestra and the Sydney Opera House Grand Organ accompanying the 450 voices of the Festival Chorus and our mezzo-soprano and baritone soloists. It’s a rare chance to hear Duruflé’s exquisite orchestration in this transcendent setting of the Requiem mass, underpinned by the fluid lines of ancient Gregorian chant. 

Francis Poulenc also looks to the past – you can hear the spirit of Vivaldi in his Gloria – but what really stands out is the irrepressible joy and candour of his music, the aural equivalent of brilliant stained glass in clear primary colours.

Between these two French classics, we’re giving the first performance of Time's Fell Hand, an epic new choral work, specially commissioned from Australian composer Carl Vine.