Reclaiming A Requiem

Among the several settings of the Requiem mass, this one by Francois-Joseph Gossec is not the most well known or celebrated but it certainly has great quality. Born and working in France at a time of major upheaval, Gossec was a contemporary of Haydn. He composed symphonic and chamber music and much for the theatre, especially chronicling the revolution. The Requiem predated the revolution and was played more frequently before than after that event, although it wasn't banned as such and still had outings. It is known that Mozart met Gossec and there are parallels between this setting and Mozart's own, they certainly occupy the same sound world. The performance here is by Musica Polyphonica directed by Louis Devos with the Maastricht Conservatory Chamber Choir and soloists Bernadette Degelin and Greta de Reyghere sopranos, Howard Crook tenor and Kurt Widmer bass. As well as Mozart, other admirers of the piece included Berlioz and Devos here uses a rediscovered definitive version which helps place it back among the foremost ranks of classical Requiem settings.