Concerts and Events
Thursday 19th November 2026 – Duruflé, Fauré, and Higgins
Maurice Duruflé’s Requiem, Op. 9, is one of the most serene and spiritually intimate settings of the Mass for the Dead. Drawing almost all of its thematic material from the ancient Gregorian chant of the “Missa pro defunctis”, Duruflé weaves chant lines into a glowing harmonic fabric that reflects both his deep training in the French cathedral tradition and his admiration for the purity of plainsong.
In Michael Higgins’ The Cloths of Heaven, Whitehall Choir is joined by a string quintet from the Dionysus Ensemble, for this sumptuous and emotionally charged setting of three love poems by Yeats.
Gabriel Fauré’s Cantique de Jean Racine is one of the most popular pieces in the choral repertoire, due to its beautiful and singable melodic lines and its intimate emotional feel. We will be performing it in an arrangement for choir, organ and strings, by Michael Higgins.
To complete the programme, the Dionysus Ensemble will perform Mozart’s three-movement Divertimento in D, K 136. This sparkling and charming work was written when the composer was just 16 but already writing with elegance and poise.