Bent Sørensen's work often seeks inspiration in the past or forgotten, as seen in his fascination with abandoned churchyards or dying gardens.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Bent Sørensen's Requiem is not sacred music in a liturgical sense, nor a collage, but an integrated process with a strategic plot from beginning to end.
Compositional Technique
The Requiem integrates Gregorian chant, which Bent Sørensen imagines sung in a space with endless reverberations, causing notes to hang and gather into sound clusters.
Recording & Production
The recording technique supports the spatial movement of the choir, aiming to reproduce the live performance experience, especially on the multichannel layer of the SACD.
Composition History
This Requiem combines movements by Johannes Ockeghem, composed in the late 15th century, with movements by Bent Sørensen, composed between 1985 and 2007.
Performer Biography
Paul Hillier, the Artistic Director and Chief Conductor of Ars Nova Copenhagen, has won two GRAMMY awards for Best Choral Recording.
Interpretation
For the 'Sanctus' movement, the choir physically moves in a circle around the audience, with individual singers carrying notes into the space.
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