Contemporary requiem full of emotion and mystery
The requiem originated in church, as a sung mass for the deceased. Gradually, the requiem evolved into a musical genre in its own right. Every year, the November Music Festival in Den Bosch invites a contemporary composer to write a new work inspired by this musical tradition: the Bosch Requiem. As part of the tenth anniversary of the Opera Forward Festival (OFF), the two festivals are jointly commissioning Meriç Artaç to write this work. The work will premiere in concert form—without elaborate sets, costumes, or stage direction—during November Music, and will then be performed as a musical theater production during OFF.
Poetic and layered
Meriç Artaç has a great love for multidisciplinary work and has written several operas and musical theater pieces, including Madam Koo and The Arrival of Mr. Z. For Requiem for Mariza, she set to music a libretto by Dutch author Sarah Sluimer, known for her wit and ability to weave the personal and the political in imaginative texts. The director is Silvia Costa, who has quickly built an impressive career in the international opera world. Her talent for creating poetic and multifaceted performances makes her a highly sought-after director. The New European Ensemble is led by Sora Elisabeth Lee, who is enjoying an international breakthrough as a conductor and is making her debut at the Dutch National Opera with Requiem for Mariza.
This performance is part of the Opera Forward Festival.
