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OCW presents Maurice Duruflé’s sublime Requiem, Op. 9 and Quatre Motets sur des thèmes grégoriens, Op. 10.OCW’s Fall 2025 Advanced Choral Workshop performs Maurice Duruflé’s Requiem , Op. 9, and Quatre Motets sur des thèmes grégoriens , Op. 10.
Written during World War II and first performed in 1947, the Requiem and, two decades later, the Quatre Motets blend ancient Gregorian chant melodies with 20th-century harmonies and counterpoint, creating a musical palette that is both timeless and contemporary and resulting in works that offer profound solace in relation to experiences of loss and remembrance.
Duruflé’s early musical training at the Rouen cathedral immersed him in Gregorian chant, shaped by the Solesmes school’s approach to rhythm as a flexible succession of notes in twos and threes. Later studies at the Paris Conservatoire placed him in the lineage of Fauré, Debussy, and Ravel. In the Requiem , he adapts plainsong melodies to modern meter, preserving their natural fluidity while enveloping them in rich, expressive harmonies. The work omits the dramatic Dies Irae in favor of a gentle tendresse style, emphasizing forgiveness through the recurring phrase Requiem aeternam dona eis, Domine and a separate Pie Jesu.
Our performance takes place on Saturday, November 1 at 7:30 PM at Southminster United Church, in the original scoring for choir and pipe organ, accompanied by soloists Katie Gratton (mezzo-soprano), Ryan Hofman (baritone), and Jennifer Loveless (organ).
Join us for an evening of music that uplifts the spirit and illuminates the timeless beauty of Duruflé’s choral mastery.
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Event Venue & Nearby Stays
15 Aylmer Ave,Ottawa,K1S3X1,CA, Canada
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