Wilberg releases CD, tops best seller list

Mack Wilberg, the associate director of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, has added a "Requiem" to his resume.

"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."