(2004, 55 minutes)
Karl Jenkins’ Requiem sets the traditional Latin text of the Requiem mass, including the extra movements included by Fauré and Duruflé – Pie Jesu and In paradisum. These are interspersed with haiku “death” poems (sung in Japanese) whose delicate, epigrammatic texts provide a peaceful commentary on the liturgical words. The result is a deeply moving expression of spirituality, whose musical tying together of different cultures provides a link that is highly appropriate to the modern world. This powerful book will appeal to choirs wanting to sing an unusual but appealing and effective piece: the full scoring of the work includes a part for Japanese flute (shakuhachi) and an array of unusual drums.
