Dies Irae: In Flanders fields from Eternal Light: A Requiem

Arranged for SATB choir, two keyboards, strings, and optional harp, with soprano, tenor (optional) and baritone soloists, this fresh and unorthodox interpretation reflects on the words of the Latin Mass by juxtaposing them with poems in English. This movement has no soprano part, it is soloist above and ATB below, giving a rich, dark quality to the music. The tenors and basses (divisi) begin this movement, declaiming “Dies irae, dies illa.” Two soloists begin in the “Flanders fields” text above. There is an option for three soloists as the piece evolves. (Soprano, tenor and baritone, the composer gives some options for this.) Soon the choir takes up the poem, yet the Latin text occasionally appears and continues, moving toward a climax on the text “We are the Dead, Short days ago We lived.” As the music descends from the high point, the English poem continues, with the choir very softly commenting “Dies irae” as the movement ends. Duration 5:36