Robin Gibb's 'Titanic Requiem' For The 100-Year Anniversary Is His First Classical Composition

On April 15 this year, it'll have been 100 years since the Titanic sank. And while Downton Abbey fans might see the event mainly as a plot device, Robin Gibb, one of the Bee Gees singers, begs to differ. Here's how Gibb describes "Christmas Day," one of the songs he composed for his classical tribute to the tragedy, "Titanic Requiem." These are the words of a man who does not take his century-old tragedies lightly:

She sings of a light above her, a star in heaven that will always bear his name, but laments that every Christmas there will be an empty chair. It is a very poignant example of the many personal tragedies that were sadly manifest in The Titanic's short but illustrious voyage, ultimately concluding in the death of over 1,500 souls on board.

Composed by Gibb and his son RJ, "Titanic Requiem" will be performed by the London Philharmonic on the anniversary of the ship's launch, April 10. RJ calls it "more classical" than Andrew Lloyd Webber's "Pie Jesu," and has worked "feverishly" on it ever since an intestinal blockage nearly took his life. Gibb credits "Requiem" -- his first classical composition, which will be turned into an album due out March 19 -- for helping him "on the road to recovery."

You can listen to "Christmas Day," sung by 14-year-old Isabelle Suckling, at Gibb's official site.

[via Guardian]