Patrick Hawes returns to disc on Signum with the premiere recording of his ‘Lazarus Requiem’, for Choir, Orchestra and Soloists. Blending the liturgical text of the Requiem Mass with the story of Lazarus from the New Testament, the composer blends a work in which “the mystery of life and death, the pain of grief and the hope of a risen life are held in taut symmetry”.
The work begins with an orchestral Elegy for Lazarus. This depicts the dying man and sets the scene for the first tableau where we are informed “a certain man was ill”. Mary and Martha, the sisters of Lazarus, send for Jesus and the drama of the miracle unfolds. The main characters within this drama are sung by the soloists: tenor ‘Christ’ (Thomas Walker), soprano ‘Mary’ (Elin Manahan Thomas) and mezzo-soprano ‘Martha’ (Rachael Lloyd).
01 – Lazarus Requiem_ Elegy for Lazarus
02 – Lazarus Requiem_ Tableau One
03 – Lazarus Requiem_ Requiem Aeternam
04 – Lazarus Requiem_ Tableau Two
05 – Lazarus Requiem_ Kyrie
06 – Lazarus Requiem_ Tableau Three
07 – Lazarus Requiem_ O Domine Jesu Christe
08 – Lazarus Requiem_ Tableau Four
09 – Lazarus Requiem_ Sanctus
10 – Lazarus Requiem_ Benedictus
11 – Lazarus Requiem_ Tableau Five
12 – Lazarus Requiem_ Agnus Dei
13 – Lazarus Requiem_ Tableau Six
14 – Lazarus Requiem_ Lux Aeterna