Cherubini & Plantade: Requiems

Featuring

Hervé Niquet
Le Concert Spirituel
Concert Spirituel Chorus
Luigi Cherubini
Charles-Henri Plantade

Did you know?

1/7

Historical Context

The French monarchy, restored in 1815 by Louis XVIII, frequently held ceremonies to honor Louis XVI and Marie-Antoinette, who were guillotined during the French Revolution.

Compositional Technique

Cherubini's Requiem in C minor notably omits the flute from its orchestration to create a darker sound palette for the mournful piece.

Critical Reception

In 1834, a scandal erupted when the Archbishop of Paris refused a performance of Cherubini's Requiem because it included female voices, leading Cherubini to compose a second Requiem for male voices only.

Compositional Technique

Plantade's Requiem features a modern orchestration effect in its 'real' Pie Jesu movement: a plaintive, chromatic moan from the horn.

Composition History

Plantade's Requiem in D minor was performed in 1823 to commemorate the thirtieth anniversary of Queen Marie-Antoinette's death on the scaffold.

Composition History

Cherubini's Requiem in C minor was performed on January 21, 1816, at Saint-Denis during a ceremony honoring Louis XVI.

Performer Biography

Hervé Niquet, the conductor, founded Le Concert Spirituel in 1987 with the goal of reviving the French grand motet, and the ensemble has since become a benchmark for Baroque interpretation.