Patrick Hawes returns to disc on Signum with the premiere recording of his 'Lazarus Requiem', for Choir, Orchestra and Soloists. Blending the liturgical text of the Requiem Mass with the story of Lazarus from the New Testament, the composer blends a work in which “the mystery of life and death, the pain of grief and the hope of a risen life are held in taut symmetry”.

The work begins with an orchestral Elegy for Lazarus. This depicts the dying man and sets the scene for the first tableau where we are informed “a certain man was ill”. Mary and Martha, the sisters of Lazarus, send for Jesus and the drama of the miracle unfolds. The main characters within this drama are sung by the soloists: tenor ‘Christ’ (Thomas Walker), soprano ‘Mary’ (Elin Manahan Thomas) and mezzo-soprano ‘Martha’ (Rachael Lloyd).