Gabriel Faure's Requiem

Invite your family, friends and neighbors to our All Souls' Day performance of Gabriel Fauré's Requiem, presented on November 2, 2025 at 3:00 PM with support from St. George's Friends of Music and featuring the Coventry Choir of St. George’s Episcopal Church and members of the Memphis Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Dr. Stephen Karr, Director of Music Ministry. The concert is free and open to the public.  Donations to St George’s Friends of Music welcomed.

In contrast to many other well-known settings of the Latin text of the Mass for the Dead such as Berlioz, Mozart and Verdi, this compact and intimate work turns its focus toward quiet reflection and comfort rather than anguish, wrath and the day of judgment. While many other settings run well beyond an hour in length, Fauré's lasts closer to 45 minutes, making it accessible even to the youngest among us. In omitting most of the "Dies irae" ("Day of anger") text appointed for that service, using just the final stanza "Pie Jesu Domine, dona eis requiem" ("Merciful Lord Jesus, give him rest."), the focus turns toward the individual. Fauré also includes the "In paradisum" text, which is properly part of the burial service, but which allows for the piece to end with the image of the faithful departed being led to heaven by angels and—appropriate to this weekend's Scripture readings—joining the poor man Lazarus in the comfort of the heavenly kingdom. We hope you will join us for this commemoration of our beloved friends and relatives who have preceded us.