Cheryl Frances-Hoad's Excelsus for solo Cello. 'Excelsus takes the form of a suite each movement being based on a passage from the Requiem mass text. Although I spent many hours refining my interpretation of the words the work is ultimately a more instinctive reaction to the evocative language of the excerpts. However my stance was always totally atheistic and this infiltrates everything from …

from Requiem. The cries of the damned begin this powerful 2nd movement from the Mozart Requiem. Day of wrath, day of judgment make a dramatic statement indeed to begin the music. The chorus is mostly homophonic while the orchestra--piano reduction--is busy creating a wonderful contrast.