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© Gran Teatre del Liceu
Requiem
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February 2025 | ||||||
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First proposal by Castellucci at the Liceu
Wrapped in an aura of mystery, the enigmatic and extraordinary Requiem Mass is not only the culmination of a phase in Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's late work dedicated to religious music, but also the pinnacle of music history.
Cut short by the premature death of the composer during its creation, and a true autobiographical document, this work goes beyond the treatment of death and the Divine Judgment. Mozart creates a dramatic action capable of renewing the sacred genre, where vocal expression shines to illuminate an overwhelming experience.
His disciple Franz Xaver Süssmayr, who had already assisted him in contemporary works like The Magic Flute or La clemenza di Tito, completed a score around which numerous questions persist: Mozart posed the question of death, but his question remained unanswered. Through this text of Christian liturgy, Mozart expressed all moods: from the fear of Judgment (Dies irae) to the hope for God's mercy (Kyrie), from the anguish of futile suffering (Recordare) to the certainty of a hereafter filled with light (Luceat eis).
A mournful lament, but above all, an extreme plea, imploring divine mercy.
Rarely has music been so marked by the genius, expression, faith, and suffering of a human being.
"As death is the true goal of our existence, I have known this true and best friend of humanity so well in recent years that the image of death no longer frightens me, but is much more reassuring and comforting." – Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.
These words of Mozart about life and death have been the starting point for Romeo Castellucci's interpretation, an absolute protagonist of European avant-garde theater, of the composer's iconic and unfinished Requiem. As an expression of humanity's existential fear of mortality, this Requiem confronts us with the fragility of nature and culture, of humanity and the individual. "We should understand and celebrate the end as if it were a party, where the dance continues.
This Misa pro defunctis is transposed and its meaning changes." Thanks to Castellucci's theatrical vision, complemented by other religious pieces by Mozart, this "Requiem" becomes the definitive celebration of life, where we transcend the clichés of life's transience. Co-produced originating from the Festival d'Aix-en-Provence, and Castellucci's first proposal at the Gran Teatre del Liceu, it takes on the form of a chant to life with extraordinary plastic beauty and irresistible theatrical force.
This "Requiem" opposes what one might expect from a Mass for the deceased; it is not a space of lamentation but addresses themes such as the fundamental question of time, the hope of rebirth; it explores the origin and the end, but also the end as the very origin, allowing us to celebrate life in its own fragility. A finale that dreams of life, imposing circularity and renewal.
Giovanni Antonini, founder of Il Giardino Armonico and one of the most respected musical directors today, will advocate for this beautiful and essential proposal.
"As death is the true goal of our existence, I have known this true and best friend of humanity so well in recent years that the image of death no longer frightens me." - Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.
Program and cast
Approximate running time - 1h 30min
SOPRANO: Anna Prohaska
CONTRALTO: Marina Viotti
TENOR: Levy Sekgapane
BASS: Soloman Howard
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791)
Requiem in D minor, KV.626 (1791)
Meistermusik, KV.477b (1785)
Miserere mei, KV.90 (1771)
Ne pulvis et cinis, KV.Anh.122 (1779)
Solfeggio in F major, KV.393/2 (1782)
‘Quis Te comprehendat’, KV.Anh.110 (1781)
O Gottes Lamm, KV.343/1 (1779)
STAGE DIRECTION, SET DESIGN, COSTUME DESIGN, LIGHTING: Romeo Castellucci
ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR: Silvia Costa
CHOREOGRAPHY: Evelin Facchini
DRAMATURGY: Piersandra di Matteo
CO-PRODUCTION - Festival d’Aix-en-Provence, Les Arts, Adelaide Festival, Theatre Basel, Wiener Festwochen, and La Monnaie / De Munt
CHOIR OF THE GRAN TEATRE DEL LICEU (PABLO ASANTE, DIRECTOR)
SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA OF THE GRAN TEATRE DEL LICEU
CONDUCTOR: Giovanni Antonini
Photo gallery
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© Gran Teatre del Liceu
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© Gran Teatre del Liceu
Gran Teatre del Liceu
Barcelona's opera house, the Gran Teatre del Liceu, was founded on the Rambla in 1847 and has continued over the years to fulfil its role as a culture and arts centre and one of the symbols of the city.
Today it is publicly-owned (by the Government of Catalonia, Barcelona City Council, Barcelona Provincial Council and the Ministerio de Educación, Cultura y Deporte) and administered by the Fundació del Gran Teatre del Liceu which, in addition to the aforementioned bodies, incorporates the Patronage Council and the Societat del Gran Teatre del Liceu (the old society of owners).
Origins: From 1837 to 1847
The Liceu evolved out of the Sociedad Dramática de Aficionados (Society of theatre-lovers) set up in 1837 at the instigation of Manuel Gibert in the former convent of Montsió by members of the National Militia, an organization of armed citizens with liberal leanings.
Barcelona's economy and population were growing fast at the time and the city needed a music conservatory. This led to the conversion of the Sociedad Dramática into the Liceo Filármonico Dramático Barcelonés de S.M. la Reina Isabel II (Barcelona Dramatic and Philharmonic Lyceum of HM Queen Isabel II). In addition to its theatrical activities, the new organization cultivated Italian-style singing and music.
The building on the Rambla
The original building was solemnly opened on 4 April 1847. The plans had been drawn up by Miquel Garriga i Roca, subsequently assisted by Josep Oriol Mestres. The project was funded by selling shares, which meant that many of the boxes and seats were to be privately owned. The shareholders formed the Societat del Gran Teatre del Liceu, known as the “Societat de Propietaris” (Society of Owners), which was in sole charge of running the Gran Teatre del Liceu from 1855 onwards, after it was legally separated from the Conservatori del Gran Teatre del Liceu.
The theatre was operated by impresarios who were given a concession to stage a specific number of productions in exchange for the proceeds from the sale of tickets not reserved for the Societat itself. This system was to endure until 1980.
The creation of the Consortium
By the last quarter of the 20th century this management system was no longer viable. In 1980, to avert the danger of the disappearance of an institution of such worldwide cultural renown, the Generalitat Catalonia's first government in modern times – set up a consortium, the Consorci del Gran Teatre del Liceu, which also incorporated Barcelona City Council and the Societat del Gran Teatre del Liceu. Barcelona Provincial Council joined the Consortium in 1985, followed by the Spanish Ministry of Culture in 1986. From then on the Consortium took over operation of the theatre.
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