Requiem

One of Britain's foremost composers, after three years as a chorister at Canterbury Cathedral, Gabriel Jackson went on to study composition with Richard Blackford and John Lambert at the Royal College of Music. Particularly acclaimed for his choral works, his liturgical pieces are in the repertoires of most of Britain's cathedral and collegiate choirs and he is a frequent collaborator with the leading professional groups of the world. From 2010-2013 he was Associate Composer to the BBC Singers. In 2014 his hour-long The Passion of our Lord Jesus Christ, commissioned for the 750th anniversary of Merton College, Oxford, was premiered in its chapel. May 2015 saw the premiere at the Latvian National Opera of Spring Rounds for soprano, choir and orchestra, commissioned by the Riga-based youth choir Kamer for their 25th anniversary. He was recently commissioned by The Marian Consort to write Stabat Mater to mark their 10th anniversary.

Prominent among his British contemporaries by reason of a prolific output and engaging style, Gabriel Jackson is now enjoying much attention by some of the nation's finest choirs. Jackson is a master at turning a memorable phrase; a motif or pattern grasps the listener and is immediately appealing. His Requiem does not disappoint in this regard, especially in its hypnotic conclusion. This work is an intriguing blend of the traditional movements of the Latin Mass for the Dead with sources far beyond the conventional canon. What unites these diverse texts is their shared view of death, not as the end, but 'the gateway to a better world'. As such, this is a substantilal composition that would well serve an unaccompanied choir eager to present a major work that embraces a wide range of beliefs.

• Requiem Aeternam I; Epitaph; Requiem Aeternam II; Autumn wind of eve; Sanctus & Benedictus; Peace, my heart; Lux aeterna