Fauré's Requiem - the "Requiem without hell"

It may sound a little counterintuitive to post a video of a Requiem, a piece played at funerals and in remembrance of people, under the category of "music for hope".

Gabriel Fauré, the French composer who wrote this Requiem, however, was immensely marked by his experience of serving as a soldier, during war times. Himself an atheist, when writing this work, he decided to avoid all the "threats of hell" and other such customs which can often come as part and parcel of such a piece, opting instead to write a piece which celebrates all that is most beautiful about humanity, instead. This is why this stunning Requiem has acquired the informal name of the Requiem without hell. It truly is (for me at least) a vision of heaven.

I hope it soothes your spirit, and reminds you of the beauty that this world can and does truly contain, even if it often seems otherwise.