Officium Defunctorum (Requiem) 1605
Tomas Luis de Victoria 1548?-1611

The Spanish priest Tomas Luis de Victoria was, along with Lassus and Palestrina, one of the triumvirate of great composers working in Rome at the end of the 16th century. He returned home to Spain to serve as private chaplain for the Empress Maria, whose death in 1603 inspired Victoria to write his finest work, the six-part Officium Defunctorum, or Requiem. This performance of the Requiem Mass aimed to place it in something close to its original context by interspersing Victoria's polyphonic movements with the proper plainsong chants.

This performance was recorded by Concert FM and has subsequently been broadcast on several occasions.

This performance was advertisied via a unique fold-out double sided poster. Although it is not possible to give the full effect of this via the web, you can inspect the folded-out front of the poster (JPG image, 335 Kb), the rear (JPG image, 193 Kb), and a portion of the unfolded interior (JPG image, 298 Kb).

Download texts and translations for this performance (Microsoft Word document, 73 Kb)
Download pre-concert talk for this performance (Microsoft Word document, 57 Kb)
Download pre-broadcast talk as given before Radio New Zealand broadcast of this performance (Microsoft Word document, 36 Kb)

Programme

Attempting to place Victoria's polyphonic movements within an "authentic" Requiem Mass reconstruction required a certain amount of conjecture: in particular, the placing of the motets Taedet Animan Meam and Versa est in Luctum is not clear from the original publication. A certain editorial license was also used to include a further magnificent setting of the funeral motet Versa est in Luctum written for the funeral of Philip II by Victoria's greatest Spanish contemporary, Alonso Lobo.

Introit: Requiem aeternam: Officium Defunctorum: Tomas Luis de Victoria (MP3 sound, 7959 Kb)
Kyrie: Officium Defunctorum: Victoria
Collect: chant
Epistle: chant
Gradual: Requiem aeternam: Officium Defunctorum: Victoria
Tract: Absolve, Domine: plainsong
Sequence: Dies irae: chant
Gospel: chant
Offertorio: Domine Jesu Christe: Officium Defunctorum: Victoria
Sursum Corda: chant
Sanctus / Osanna I / Benedictus / Osanna II: Officium Defunctorum: Victoria
Pater Noster: chant
Absolution: chant
Absolution Responsory: Libera me, Domine: Officium Defunctorum: Victoria
Kryie: Officium Defunctorum: Victoria (MP3 sound, 1500 Kb)
Pater Noster: chant
Agnus Dei: Officium Defunctorum: Victoria
Communio: Taedet animam meam vitae maea: Officium Defunctorum: VIctoria
Post-communio: Lux aeterna: Officium Defunctorum: Victoria
Versa est in Luctum: Alonso Lobo
Versa est in Luctum: Officium Defunctorum: Victoria
In Paradisum: plainsong

8pm*, Sunday 17 September 1989
Wellington Cathedral of St Paul
Molesworth Street, Wellington
* pre-concert talk at 7.30pm
$15 / $12

dir. Simon Ravens

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