Durufle: Requiem – The Observer

Fauré’s Requiem has long been a popular classic, but Maurice Duruflé’s is far superior: more profound, deeply devotional and rooted in a scholarly knowledge of ancient Gregorian chant. Jeremy Backhouse understands all this and directs his marvellous Vasari Singers in a remarkable recording of Duruflé’s healing vision of death and redemption, with powerful contributions from Sarah Connolly and Christopher Maltman. Organist Jeremy Filsell accompanies with ease and authority, particularly in the lesser known but equally rewarding De Profundis by Duruflé’s contemporary, Jean-Jacques Grunenwald.

Stephen Pritchard
The Observer