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Spring Requiem (1993) |
Spring Requiem is an emotional reaction to the funeral in Belgrade, Yugoslavia, of the composer's former partner's father, in the spring of 1993. A very eastern European flavour permeates this piece, which depicts the clangour of bells, the cortege along the cemetery, trees hung with pink blossom. It is dedicated 'In memoriam Aleksandar Miletic'. There are four basic parts which run without a break, based loosely on sections of the Requiem Mass, beginning with a Dies Irae (which also depicts the out-of-tune totterings of the seemingly drunk cantor at the ceremony), Kyrie Eleison, Sanctus and In Paradisum.
The work fulfilled a commission from Raphael Wallfisch and John York for the 1993 Lower Machen Festival in South Wales. In 1996 it was used as a test piece for the Muriel Taylor Scholarship for young cellists.