Iver Kleive // Requiem // CD

A modern, spellbinding, classical work by one of our most fascinating church musicians.

Iver Kleive’s captivating requiem is dedicated to his son Alexander, the 11 September terror victims and soldiers who have fallen in the Iraqi war. Based on traditional requiem texts in Latin, it is composed for choir, organ and two soloists. It was recorded in Lubljana in Slovenia in May this year. 

Iver Kleive, playing the organ, is joined by his Oslo Bach Choir, the chamber choir "Mimas" from Tromsø, the choir "APZ Tone Tomsic" from Lubljana, and the soloists Marianne E. Andersen (mezzo soprano) and Trond Hallstein Moe (baritone). 

Talking about the background for this work Iver Kleive says: 

"We have gone through terrible times. 

In late summer 1997 my family and I lost what we loved the most, our son Alexander. In the autumn that year I was asked to write a work for "Trondhjems Studentersangforening" (the Trondheim Student Choir). I then wrote Dies Irae, which was performed as an independent work in Nidaros Cathedral in March 1999. 

In 2001 the same male choir asked me to write a complete requiem for them. On 11 September 2001, the day I was supposed to start writing, I woke up to the news of the falling towers. To me it would be meaningless to start writing on this theme there and then. I started to write in January 2002. I chose a neutral classical requiem text and wrote the movement Tuba mirum. Then, once again I let it lie for months, until August 2002, a month before the deadline. The ten remaining movements were then composed during three weeks of frenzied work. It took a lot out of me.

Now over the last year when I have taken the time to rewrite the work for a mixed choir, images of the hundreds and hundreds of coffins with the bodies of young men being returned to their devastated parents have continually preyed on my mind. 

I have endeavoured to write beautiful music in memory of these so dear lives lost. 

May they rest in peace. 

Iver Kleive 

Blommenholm 

May 2006

Track list: 

1. Introitus                                  10:55

2. Exaudi                                      3:30

3. Dies irae                                 18:00

4. Tuba mirum                             9:15

5. Rex tremendae                       6:40

6. Recordare                               3:35

7. Confutatis                               5:55

8. Lacrimosa                              4:35

9. Sanctus                                  4:25

10. Benedictus                           7:30

11. Agnus Dei                             2:30

12. Lux aeterna                          4:55