Barnaby Smith - Requiem Novum (Marten Jansson)

VOCES8 Records unveils a new large work for chorus and orchestra written by Swedish composer Mårten Jansson and American lyricist Charles Anthony Silvestri. Jansson's musical 'Response of Hope and Wonder' offers a comforting voice from beyond the veil. Charles Anthony Silvestri's poems are woven between the familiar traditional movements of the Requiem Mass giving a new reading to it's texts, whilst the expansive score evokes the beauty of the composer's native sweeping Swedish landscapes. The entire work moves from the sombre, melancholy, even fearful tones of the mass movements to responses of hope and wonder, as those whom we mourn reveal the peace, redemption, and sheer wonder of their new reality beyond the veil of eternity. This world premiere recording features acclaimed soprano Anna Dennis, The VOCES8 Foundation Choir and the Philharmonia Orchestra, recording a Swedish composer for the first time in their 77-year history, conducted by Barnaby Smith.