Today and tomorrow I thought we would have two selections by the great French composer Gabriel Fauré. This is music which provides great comfort in this troubled time. Today’s piece begins with an exceptionally beautiful and consoling melody in the violins. The tenors add their sweet, heart-felt song. In the middle of the movement there is a distinct shift in the piece. It is a return to the cosmic, timeless music which begins Fauré’s Requiem. We are not sure what happens when people die. But, ultimately, at the end, Fauré indicates an optimistic belief, as he returns to the beautiful and consoling music of the movement’s beginning.

– Dennis Keene

GABRIEL FAURÉ Requiem - Agnus Dei

Voices of Ascension
Dennis Keene, Artistic Director
Mark Kruczek, Organist

Recorded live in performance on February 5, 2015
Church of the Ascension, New York City
The singers in this performance are represented by the American Guild of Musical Artists, AFL-CIO.