The premiere of Requiem, Andrew Lloyd Webber's pivotal and most personal of compositions, took place on February 24, 1985, before 1,000 specially invited guests at St. Thomas' Episcopal Church, New York.

The work, although a Latin Requiem Mass, was inspired by a tragic article Andrew read in The New York Times about a Cambodian boy who suffered under the Khmer Rouge and is also dedicated to his father, William Lloyd Webber, who had died in 1982. It includes the song "Pie Jesu," which remains one of the composer's most popular works and has been covered by many artists including Charlotte Church, Anna Netrebko, Marie Osmond and Katherine Jenkins.

Requiem is scored for chorus, three soloists (tenor, soprano and treble) and large orchestra. The premiere performance and album were both conducted by the American maestro Lorin Maazel, with soloists Placido Domingo, Sarah Brightman and Paul Miles-Kingston.

The 1985 Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Composition went to Andrew for Requiem, and the accompanying album reached number one in the Billboard charts in the U.S. "Pie Jesu" was released as a single in March 1985 and reached number three in the U.K. charts.

Requiem is especially suitable for faith-based institutions, with the 46-minute piece providing a great opportunity for superb singers to showcase their vocal technique.