Luigi Cherubini

Requiem Mass In C Minor

The Requiem Mass in C Minor, Cherubini's first, was commissioned for the anniversary of the execution of Louis XVI by the restored French monarchy. The Requiem was highly admired by the public and critics as well as byMendelssohn, Berlioz and Beethoven. Cherubini sets a solemn tone right from the beginning by using the lower Strings and winds only to accompany the Voices and continues to display his inventiveness with great effectivenessthroughout the work. The thunder and lightning of the Dies Irae, the prayerful pianissimo sections of the Agnus Dei accompanied by ostinato, the complete lack of soloists are all remarkable elements of this historicallyimportantwork. Luigi Cherubini was a composer, conductor, teacher, administrator and music publisher who, though born in Italy, dominated the musical world of Paris for nearly five decades. His composing life can be divided veryroughly into to phases: the operatic phase during the French Revolutionary period and the equally successful religious music phase at the beginning of the Restoration afterwards. His directorship of the Paris Conservatoirestrengthened its position at the peak of musical education on the Continent.