Reviewed by Steven Whitehead

Requiems are meant to remind us of eternity - sometimes because of the time it takes to listen to them. Your reviewer admits to a certain trepidation when he saw that this release is a double CD but he gladly admits that his preconceptions were wrong. CD one lasts an hour and I had to check my watch, as the time had passed so enjoyably. In scale Stanford's 'Requiem' almost equals those of Berlioz and Verdi but his orchestral style is much more economical, allowing the voices to shine through and with a limited but telling use of instrumental solos. Although Stanford was a leading member of the English musical establishment he was in fact an Irish Protestant and so it is apt that it is the RTÉ Philharmonic Choir and RTÉ National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland that do the honours here and do Stanford full justice. The "Sanctus" and "Agnus Dei" spread over on to a second CD, giving a total timing of 80 minutes and the disc is rounded off with four excerpts from Stanford's first opera, 'The Veiled Prophet Of Khorassan' so, as ever with the Naxos label, we are offered excellent value for money.

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

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