Among settings of the Requiem Mass, Fauré's is unique. It does not adhere to the time-honored liturgical text, and as the composer saw death as a gentle release from earthly life, the horrors of the Day of Judgment are almost disregarded. The 'Dies irae,' whose torments Verdi represented in the most vivid terms, is reduced to a brief interpolation in the 'Libera me,' and the work is serene and contemplative, the text purposely chosen to emphasize the meaning of the word requiem. Fauré had no particular reason for writing his Requiem, but while it was in the early stages of composition his mother died, and the first performance, which took place at the Madeleine in January 1888, was a timely memorial. Released here as part of Hyperion's 30th Anniversary Series, Matthew Best's acclaimed performance gets a well-deserved place in the spotlight.