Gregory Spears’ Requiem was released in November and entranced listeners with a stunning album-length work. Period instruments, modern technique, and ancient storytelling co-mingle in Spears’ enthralling composition, leading, unsurprisingly, to an avid reception.

In the Boston Globe, John Guilfoil declared Requiem “some of the most beautifully unsettling music to appear in recent memory”, describing it as “a Renaissance madrigal remixed for the postminimalist age”. Philadelphia Inquirer complemented the album for “a modern sense of theatrical timing that keeps your ears on edge until the last note.” On WQXR, the album was described as “engrossing”, and was featured as Album of the Week and listed as one of the top 5 vocal/operatic CDs of the year. New Music Box called it “an attention-grabbing meditation.” For the CD release concert, I Care If You Listen delivered rapturous praise, claiming, “The unselfconscious beauty of Spears’ music is rarely heard in contemporary music.”

Requiem has also received coverage and listings from the Sacramento Bee, Time Out New York, and WCKR.

You can experience and purchase Spears’ mystifying work here