On 25^th March, VOCES8 Records unveils a new large work for chorus and orchestra written by Swedish composer Mårten Jansson and American lyricist Charles Anthony Silvestri.

Jansson’s musical ‘Response of Hope and Wonder’ offers a comforting voice from beyond the veil. Charles Anthony Silvestri’s poems are woven between the familiar traditional movements of the Requiem Mass giving a new reading to its texts, whilst the expansive score evokes the beauty of the composer’s native sweeping Swedish landscapes. The entire work moves from the sombre, melancholy, even fearful tones of the mass movements to responses of hope and wonder, as those whom we mourn reveal the peace, redemption, and sheer wonder of their new reality beyond the veil of eternity.

This world premiere recording features acclaimed soprano Anna Dennis, The VOCES8 Foundation Choir and the Philharmonia Orchestra, recording a Swedish composer for the first time in their 77-year history, conducted by Barnaby Smith.

Watch an excerpt from Requiem Novum: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mfWeVGeaAtY

“My music is my own and I have never tried to be original. That has always been my motto and I have only tried to use music to express all the feelings life consists of. This has led people to describe my music as both “so sad that it sounds like birds who have lost their wings” and “the happiest classical music we ever heard”. I have also always preferred beautiful music to atonal music and that is surely the reason why the most part of my music is more on the sad side – but what a dream it would be to be able to create beautiful music that’s bubbling over with joy! My compositions consist of almost only sacred music. This is to express my own faith but also my appreciation and respect for the timeless texts that have been used for centuries after centuries.” – Mårten Jansson