'Requiem' is designed to create the loneliest situation possible: a single performer, whose voice is the only material for the electronic track, relying on only themselves for their own accompaniment. Written specifically for the delicate, complex and controlled tone of clarinetist and singer Jack McNeill, 'Requiem' requires the soloist to sing the syllables 'so', 'lone' and 'ly', which are fed through a sampler, creating a richly harmonic background. The piece's five main parts refer to the 15th century composer Ockeghem's 'Requiem' structure and are interspersed with verses of the Irish song 'She Moved Through the Fair' sung by the soloist. The hour-long solo for bass clarinet with electronic track was commissioned by Birmingham Contemporary Music Group for the event 'Requiem to Let' (in collaboration with theatre company Stan's Cafe) and was first performed on 26th September 2015. Originally composed for performance in an empty shop unit in Birmingham that still held the remains of a business going bankrupt, 'Requiem to Let' was devised as a swan-song for the British high street.
1) Part 1 ()
2) My Young Love Said to Me ()
3) Part 2 ()
4) As She Stepped Away from Me ()
5) Part 3 ()
6) The People Were Saying ()
7) Part 4 ()
8) Last Night She Came to Me ()
9) Part 5 ()