Antonín Reicha (1770, Prague–1836, Paris) was a respected professor of counterpoint and fugal technique at the Paris Conservatoire, and an author of pedagogical works which even Bedřich Smetana and Fryderyk Chopin studied. He wrote wind quintets, piano fugues, overtures and symphonies.

It wasn't until the late 20th century that the discovery of his manuscripts in the Bibliothèque nationale in Paris revealed that he was also a composer of large works for choir and orchestra. One such discovery was Reichas's Missa pro defunctis - Requiem, written in Vienna, where Reicha lived from 1802 to 1808 before settling down in Paris.

The piece displays the characteristic marks of Reicha's compositional style: chromaticism, a rich modulation scheme, colourful instrumentation and a sensitive musical expression of the meaning of the Latin text. Antonín Reicha's Requiem provides a new perspective on the composer's work.