Alexei Larionov: A Requiem

Festival In de Branding, A. Phillipszaal, Den Haag (2003)

I have sailed the seas, touched her waters, measured her force. I have felt the land as stone and mud. I have seen the ice and smelt the air. I sensed her knowledge, the water that spoke. The wide expanse. The light that already failed, the boat�s strong hull.
The sea does not consider us. She�s not even aware we exist.

This piece is dedicated to the crew of Russian Navy submarine Kursk. Some members of the orchestra are positioned around the hall and on the balcony, allowing the sound to float through the space. The concept of a memorial service becomes clear as actors inside the audience pay their respect to Alexei, a choir that is spread across the whole hall starts singing, and the vocal soloists perform an ecstatic hymn. Only then do the words, spoken to you by concert hall staff at the entrance, obtain their meaning. 2003