The Radio France Chorus and Philharmonic Orchestra present the world premiere of composer Thierry Lancino's monumental REQUIEM, one of the only such symphonic settings of this magnitude and genre to be premiered in recent years, on January 8, 2010 at the Salle Pleyel in Paris. A thought-provoking and moving contemplation of human mortality, REQUIEM's world premiere is the result of a prestigious co-commission awarded to Mr. Lancino by the Koussevitsky Music Foundation in the Library of Congress, in conjunction with the French Ministry of Culture and Radio France. The world premiere of REQUIEM will be broadcast live on January 8, 2010 at 2pm US EST, and can be heard by following this link.

Lancino draws his inspiration for REQUIEM from the following verse of the Roman liturgy’s Dies irae:

Dies irae, dies illa,
solvet saeculum in favilla,
teste David cum Sibylla.

That day of wrath, that dreadful day,
shall heaven and earth in ashes lay,
as David and the Sybil say.

Lancino uses this verse as the foundation of his Requiem to bring to light the presence of both a Christian and Pagan figure in this liturgy, a paradox that has not been highlighted in any previously composed Requiem. David and the Sybil confront two completely different fates: while David, who is facing death, begs for eternal life, the Sybil, who is forced to age for eternity without reaching death, demands complete annihilation.

In order to illustrate this dilemma, Lancino interlaces the traditional Latin texts of the Requiem Mass—which represent David—with original texts in Greek and French– which represent the Sibyl – by renowned French writer and poet Pascal Quignard. Lancino’s REQUIEM does not choose one fate over the other, but rather asks its audience to contemplate the serenity and devastation of each, leaving them side by side.

Lancino explains:  "REQUIEM bridges the origins of earthly existence and immortality in a collision of time and space.  This work is both an epic fresco and sacred ceremony.  At the moment humans began the ritual of mourning their dead, they entered a new dimension.  In doing so, they were driven to imagine what is to come after death, hence the existence of deities.  Without the help of a deity, one might not be able to die completely, but, instead, be condemned to wander indefinitely without eternal rest.  Human finitude is a terrifying thought, but would not eternity be an infinitely more terrifying thought?"

In collaborating with Pascal Quignard, Mr. Lancino explains, “I wanted a poet, a thinker, who could articulate the vast ideas explored in a requiem. I did not know Pascal Quignard before approaching him about this project, but he naturally came to my mind because I knew he could find the right balance between the liturgy and his personal atheist reflection. Pascal Quignard has elevated this vision to a superior level. He knows how to approach this spiritual reflection with an extreme depth and a subtle beauty.” To read the full Radio France interview with Thierry Lancino regarding REQUIEM, please click here.

The soloists chosen for the world premiere of REQUIEM are soprano Heidi Grant Murphy, mezzo-soprano Nora Gubisch, tenor Stuart Skelton and bass Nicolas Courjal. The work is led by conductor Eliahu Inbal and choir director Matthias Brauer. The Radio France Philharmonic Orchestra is one of the country's leading ensembles, while the Radio France Chorus is France's only large-scale professional choir.

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About Thierry Lancino
Thierry Lancino's groundbreaking work in both electronic and traditional composition places him at the forefront of his musical generation. In addition to an arsenal of critically-acclaimed recordings, Mr. Lancino has been awarded a distinguished  list of prizes, appointments and other honors, and has been commissioned to write numerous new works that are premiered around the world.

Thierry Lancino was appointed Pensionnaire of the Académie de France à Rome (1988-90) at the Villa Médicis - formerly the historical Prix de Rome - which honors composers for their entire body of literature. After residencies in the universities of Colgate, Stanford and San Diego, where he acquired expertise in new technologies, Pierre Boulez invited him to join the artistic team of his Paris Institute at the Pompidou Center (IRCAM). This collaboration resulted in numerous commissions and recordings.

Recently, Lancino has focused on large orchestral writing, which includes his Violin Concerto (2005) for the Luxembourg Philharmonic Orchestra and The Death of Virgil, an orchestral suite for the Orchestre National de France (2000). In 2005 he wrote ONXA, a chamber work for mezzo-soprano and strings which was given its U.S. premiere at the Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival (2008). His Cinq Caprices for violin and piano were heard at the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center (2008). In March 2009, the Jeune Chœur de Paris and music director Laurence Equilbey presented the world premiere of Lancino’s choral work Who is the Third? at the Opéra Comique in Paris.   To learn more about Thierry Lancino, please click here.

About Pascal Quignard
Pascal Quignard is a French writer born in Verneuil-sur-Avre. In 2002 his novel Les Ombres errantes won the Prix Goncourt (2002). Terrasse à Rome (Terrasse in Rome), received the French Academy prize in 2000, and Carus was awarded the "Prix des Critiques" in 1980. His most popular book is probably Tous les matins du monde (All the Mornings in the World) which was adapted for the screen in 1991, by director Alain Corneau. To learn more about Pascal Quignard, please click here.

REQUIEM
A co-commission by the Koussevitzky Music Foundation in the Library of Congress, French Ministry of Culture and Radio France.

Friday, January 8, 2010 at 8pm (Paris Time)
Salle Pleyel – Paris, France
Listen to the live broadcast on January 8 here

Thierry Lancino, composer
Pascal Quignard, original text

Radio France Chorus and Philharmonic Orchestra
Eliahu Inbal, conductor
Matthias Brauer, choir director

Heidi Grant Murphy, soprano
Nora Gubisch, mezzo-soprano
Stuart Skelton, tenor
Nicolas Courjal, bass

Tickets can be purchased on the Salle Pleyel's website

Media Links
Thierry Lancino biography | website | REQUIEM program notes
Pascal Quignard biography

Radio France website
Koussevitzky Music Foundation website
Ministry of Culture website

Heidi Grant Murphy webpage
Nora Gubisch biography
Stuart Skelton biography
Nicolas Courjal biography

Eliahu Inbal biography
Matthias Brauer biography

Sculpture: Homo Animatus, 2007 © Hyungkoo Lee, Arario Gallery. Sculpture Photo credit Cathy Carver

"Requiem" text by Pascal Quignard is published by Galilée, Paris