Requiem

Scoring: Solo T, Coro SATB, Fl, Clt, Fg, 2 Cor, 2 Tr, Timp, Perc, Arpa, 2 Vl, Va, Vc, Cb, Org

There’s no doubt that British composer Grayston (Bill) Ives (*1948) has, in various ways, dedicated his career to choral music. A tenor with the legendary King’s Singers, he later worked for 18 years as organist, choirmaster and lecturer at Oxford’s prestigious Magdalen College. This Requiem, which Ives wrote to celebrate the college’s 550th anniversary, is suitable for both sacred and secular performance. Ives’ style is tonal, uncluttered and nonetheless colorful; even, at times, surprising, e.g. in the use of Tibetan hand-held cymbals.

“As a former King’s Singer, ‘Bill’ Ives, steeped in the Anglican choral tradition, writes magnificently .... His word-painting skills draw out every dramatic impulse”, stated the British music magazine Gramophone in 2021 on the occasion of the first recording of this Requiem setting.