http://www.RivertreeSingers.com — If you would like to be a participant in the Rivertree Singers & Friends Choral Festival, please check our website for details each spring. The soloists’ names in order of appearance: Laura Brundage, Julianne Brown, Nikki Eoute, Jason Rush For more information about the composition visit: http://goo.gl/kihtZT I. Introit—Kyrie at 0:42 Rest eternal grant to them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them. Hear my prayer, for unto Thee all flesh shall come. Lord, have mercy; Christ have mercy; Lord have mercy. II. Vanitas Vanitatum at 10:35 Vanity of vanities, all is vanity! (from Ecclesiastes) Merciful Lord Jesus, grant them rest. Full of tears, (from Dies Irae) he said, Let the day perish wherein I was born. (from Job 3:2--3) III. Agnus Dei at 16:44 Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, have mercy on us; grant them rest. Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, grant us peace; have mercy on us; grant them rest. IV. Sanctus at 23:33 Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God of Hosts. Heaven and earth are full of Thy glory. Hosanna in the highest! V. Lux Aeterna at 31:11 May light eternal shine upon them, O Lord, in the company of Thy saints forever: for Thou art merciful. Let perpetual light shine on them. Come unto me, all ye who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. (Matthew 11:28) Rest eternal grant to them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them. Grant us peace. From the composer: A Requiem at its core is a prayer for rest, traditionally for the deceased. The five movements of Dan Forrest's "Requiem for the Living" (2013), however, form a narrative just as much for the living—and their own struggle with pain and sorrow— as for the dead. The opening movement sets the traditional Introit and Kyrie texts—pleas for rest and mercy—using ever-increasing elaborations on a simple three-note descending motive. The second movement, instead of the traditional Dies Irae, sets scriptural texts that speak of the turmoil and sorrow which all humanity faces while yet invoking musical and textual allusions to the Dies Irae. This movement juxtaposes aggressive rhythmic gestures with long, floating melodic lines, including quotes of the Kyrie from the first movement. The Agnus Dei is performed next (a departure from the usual liturgical order) as a plea for deliverance and peace. The Sanctus following it becomes a response to this redemption. The Sanctus offers three different glimpses of the "heavens and earth, full of Thy glory," all of which develop the same musical motive: an ethereal opening section inspired by images of space from the Hubble Space Telescope; a stirring middle section inspired by images of our own planet as viewed from the International Space Station; and a closing section which brings the listener down to Earth, where cities teem with the energy of humanity. The Lux Aeterna which then closes the work portrays light, peace and rest for both the deceased and the living. Christ's words are the answer to the Introit's prayer for rest: "Come unto me all ye who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." - Dan Forrest

• published: 08 Jan 2015
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