John Rutter's Requiem

I bought a recording of Rutter's Requiem on Naxos some months ago. At first I did not find it disagreeable, but I was not overly impressed by it. Perhaps this is because it is really quite different from what I have come to assume Rutter's music is. Recently I have put it into my hi-fi again and have been really struck by the range of emotions which it touches. It is the kind of piece which really needs to be learnt and dwelt on before it can be judged, I think. I came to believe that all there is in Rutter's music would be apparent at first sight, but his Requiem bucks this trend. The recording itself also feels really fresh and full of life, perhaps because young soloists are used throughout. The composition is naturally full of clarity, but this is only communicated well because of the pure emotion which flows through the soprano solo in the Pie Jesu and the oboe solo in The Lord's my Shepherd. For me it seems to sum up all that is positive and universal in our diverse religious, spiritual, and philosophical world. It is full of affirmation and quiet faith, without a trace of bigotry in ruling one thing in or out. It feels hopeful in the face of the genuine personal tragedy behind the composer's tale.