Duruflé and Poulenc make the perfect pairing.  These two French composers are our favourite ‘mid-century moderns’ – we love their clean lines, elegance and directness, and we love their inventive ways of giving fresh life to old traditions.

Duruflé’s Requiem is a true choral classic, but mostly it’s performed with organ alone.  In 2026 we’re performing the original 1947 version, with a 60-piece orchestra and organ accompanying the 400 voices of the Festival Chorus and our mezzo-soprano and baritone soloists.  It’s a rare chance to hear Duruflé’s exquisite orchestration in this transcendent setting of the Requiem mass, underpinned by the fluid lines of ancient Gregorian chant.

Francis Poulenc also looks to the past – you can hear the spirit of Vivaldi in his Gloria – but what really stands out is the irrepressible joy and candour of his music, the aural equivalent of brilliant stained glass in clear primary colours