Fauré Requiem
Gabriel Fauré, who was sent to train as a church organist at only 9 years old, must have provided music for countless funerals. But he said he composed this Requiem “for pleasure.” This would be a Requiem to bring comfort to those who mourn, a series of heavenly tableaux rather than fire and brimstone, and one of his most beloved works. Tōru Takemitsu’s Requiem for String Orchestra expresses a more intense vein of grief. And finally, a riddle — Elgar’s “Enigma” Variations.