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"Mack Wilberg Requiem" is a compilation of original compositions from the noted choral composer. Recorded by the 360-member Mormon Tabernacle Choir, the CD also features the Orchestra at Temple Square.
"Requiem," which was released Jan. 22, is currently atop the list of music best sellers at deseretbook.com.
The project began when the opening piece of the CD was commissioned by the Carnegie Hall Corporation. Then came the suggestion from Craig Jessop, music director for the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, that "Requiem aeternam" could be the beginning of something more — a full-fledged Requiem.
Wilberg's new work was first performed last April as a part of the reopening celebration for the newly renovated Salt Lake Tabernacle on Temple Square.
The CD features solos by Welsh opera star Bryn Terfel and American mezzo-soprano Frederica von Stade. "Requiem" also includes previously unrecorded works such as "Ubi Caritas et Amor," "Lord, When the Sense of Thy Sweet Grace," "O Light of Life," "Jesus, the Very Thought is Sweet" and "Let Peace Then Still the Strife."
Wilberg, a native of Castle Dale, is a best-selling arranger for Oxford University Press and a graduate of Brigham Young University. He earned master's and doctorate degrees from the University of Southern California.
His biography on the Oxford University Press Web site states: "Wilberg's arrangements and compositions, with their grandeur, energy and charm, inspire performers and audiences everywhere."
