Requiem Aeternam

Ian Venables' Requiem Aeternam for SATB and Organ.

Comissioned by Bryce and Cyntha Somerville. In memory of Thomas Bryce Somerville.

Duration: Approximately 5 minutes

Ian Venables's Requiem Aeternam is, the composer tells us, his first foray into choral music 'for many years'. It is a five-minute setting of words from the Latin Mass for the Dead for SATB choir (with divisions) and organ. The piece is broken into contrasting sections - a reflective canonic opening recalled at the end, interspersed with sections built from repeated chords, the second of which provides the climax of the piece. I'm notsure the whole holds together, but it is dramatic - and not too demanding, and on the right occasion might be an effective funeral or memorial service piece. - Organists' Review