Castellucci imposes an original, reflective, and beautiful concept that, in this case, draws on Mozart's genius to create a dramatic work of great intellectual depth, engaging with the past, concerned with the present, and projecting toward eternity.
Part I. Choir, soprano
«Introitus. Requiem aeternam»
The beginning is slow and solemn: the soul has left the body and floats indistinctly in the otherworldly space, waiting to reach its final rest. In Latin, "requiem" means rest, and in this first segment, a prayer rises to God for mercy and for the salvation of the soul of the deceased, as well as the souls of the living. The choir increases in volume, making way for the first solo voice, the soprano, who completes the call with an elevated and crystalline tone. Süssmayr, Mozart's student, later revived the motifs of this section at the end of the work.
Part II. Choir
«Sequentia. a. Dies irae»
The wrath of God falls upon all souls: according to Christian eschatology, the end of time will come with the resurrection of the dead, who must submit to their creator's final judgment. There, depending on their actions in life and the punishment they have endured, they will learn their ultimate fate: eternal damnation in hell or perpetual light in heaven. This segment, in which the choir sings with furious energy, symbolizes the soul’s passage through the most terrifying regions of the afterlife, a reminder to the living that reaching paradise comes at a price.
"The Requiem, whose liturgical function is to bid farewell to the deceased, has become more than just a religious work: it is spiritual music in the broadest sense."
Part III. Choir
«Sequentia. f. Lachrimosa»
Lachrimosa is perhaps the most well-known part of the mass, an invocation of sorrow and the reward that comes from enduring it: the sweetness of its melody and the compassion conveyed by the unison of voices herald God's mercy and kindness, which will reward the good souls. Lachrimosa marks the end of the richest segment of the work, the Sequentia, and is one of the last pieces that Mozart composed in its essential form. The next two, Domine Jesu and Hostias, are also his, although he did not orchestrate them. From this point onward, the composition is by Franz Xaver Süssmayr.
On stage
The Requiem is not an opera, nor even an oratorio, so it has no characters or plot. It is written for orchestra, choir, and four solo voices, singing a Latin text filled with both terrifying and soothing emotions —visions of hell and heaven, God's wrath and mercy— and requires great expressiveness. In the upcoming performances, we will have four singers of immense international relevance and prestige. For example, the soprano part will be performed by the Austrian Anna Prohaska, a star of early music who has showcased her talent and the beautiful timbre of her voice in numerous recordings, while the contralto part will be handled by Marina Viotti. The tenor will be another long-established international star, the South African Levy Sekgapane, and the bass will be the American Soloman Howard. The musical direction will be led by the Italian maestro Giovanni Antonini, co-founder and current conductor of the baroque music ensemble Il Giardino Armonico, who will lead the Gran Teatre del Liceu Symphony Orchestra in addressing the solemnity of the Requiem and the other Mozart pieces that will be performed during the concert, with the addition of a very special extra date: on February 17, in the Basilica of the Sagrada Familia, the Requiem will be performed —in this case, without scenery— for the LiceUnder35 community, a concert of unmatched spiritual and aesthetic dimension.
In addition to all this, there is a central element of the Requiem that will play a crucial role in the Liceu performances: the choir. Not only because it musically supports the entire structure of the piece, but also because, in Romeo Castellucci’s production, it has the dual role of singing and, moreover, performing all the allegorical representations designed by the Italian playwright. After all, and above any singer, the true star of this proposal is the stage director. Castellucci has become, over the years, a prestigious brand, an artist with a strong personality specializing in the creation of unique theatrical actions, with a distinctive visual language marked by symbolic richness, orderly choreographic movement, and the combination of classical and modern stage resources, particularly the use of video projections. A successor of the postmodern school initiated by stage masters such as Robert Wilson, Castellucci imposes an original, reflective, and beautiful concept, which in this case draws on Mozart's genius to create a dramatic work of great intellectual depth, engaging with the past, concerned with the present, and projecting toward eternity.