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The Sacred Veil by Whitacre and Faure Requiem

Portsmouth Choral Union with conductor David Gostick

Add to my Calendar 21-11-2026 19:30 21-11-2026 21:30 36 The Sacred Veil by Whitacre and Faure Requiem Whitacre’s The Sacred Veil is an hour-long work set to a text by Whitacre’s longstanding friend and collaborator Charles Anthony Silvestri and commemorates the death of the poet’s young wife ]ulie from ovarian cancer. The 12 movements are by turns heart-wrenching, meditative and affirming and tell a story of courtship, love, loss and the search for solace. Whitacre’s score is both complex and yet emotionally direct. The Sacred Veil may be the one of the most important musical contribution in our time, both non-religious, as well as non-political and an understanding of death and loss. Gabriel Fauré Requiem in D minor (OP. 48) was composed between 1887 and 1890. Unlike dramatic Requiems by Verdi or Mozart, Fauré’s work is characterized by serene comfort and a “lullaby of death.” It consists of seven movements, featuring a baritone soloist (typically in Hostias and Libera me) and a soprano soloist (in Pie Jesu), alongside a choir. It focuses on eternal rest, reflecting a human, peaceful view of death. The work is now celebrated as one of the most beloved and peaceful choral works of the 19th century Portsmouth Anglican Cathedral, Portsmouth DD/MM/YYYY

Details

Portsmouth Anglican Cathedral
High Street
Portsmouth
Hampshire
PO1 2HH
England

Tickets

Prices: Adults: £20, Child/ Student: £5
Booking line: 07882518844
Book Tickets

Programme

Eric Whitacre – The Sacred Veil
Gabriel Fauré – Requiem, Op.48 (1900)

Performers

Sue Graham Smith – piano
Brian Lloyd Wilson – violin
David Gostick – Conductor

Portsmouth Choral Union

Programme Note

Whitacre’s The Sacred Veil is an hour-long work set to a text by Whitacre’s longstanding friend and collaborator Charles Anthony Silvestri and commemorates the death of the poet’s young wife ]ulie from ovarian cancer. The 12 movements are by turns heart-wrenching, meditative and affirming and tell a story of courtship, love, loss and the search for solace. Whitacre’s score is both complex and yet emotionally direct. The Sacred Veil may be the one of the most important musical contribution in our time, both non-religious, as well as non-political and an understanding of death and loss.

Gabriel Fauré Requiem in D minor (OP. 48) was composed between 1887 and 1890. Unlike dramatic Requiems by Verdi or Mozart, Fauré’s work is characterized by serene comfort and a “lullaby of death.” It consists of seven movements, featuring a baritone soloist (typically in Hostias and Libera me) and a soprano soloist (in Pie Jesu), alongside a choir. It focuses on eternal rest, reflecting a human, peaceful view of death. The work is now celebrated as one of the most beloved and peaceful choral works of the 19th century

Life and Peace: Faure and Whitacre

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