MEMORIAL CONCERT – Requiem

Commemoration of the 50th anniversary of Frank Martin’s passing

Johann Sebastian Bach Magnificat BWV243
Frank Martin Requiem

BACH
Gli Angeli Genève conducted by Stephan MacLeod
Hana Blažíková and Aleksandra Lewandowska soprano
Alex Potter countertenor Valerio Contaldo tenor
Stephan MacLeod bass
MARTIN
Ensemble Vocal De Lausanne and Frank Martin Orchestra conducted by Thierry Fischer
Louise Foor soprano Gerhild Romberger mezzo-soprano
Julien Henric tenor Stephan MacLeod bass-baritone
Vincent Thévenaz organ

On the anniversary of Frank Martin’s passing, a double tribute will be paid to the composer and his greatest musical influence, Johann Sebastian Bach, within the very walls of the Geneva Cathedral where Frank Martin first discovered Bach’s music as a child.

Requiem is a radiant work composed by Frank Martin upon his return from a trip to the Mediterranean. It features a quartet of vocal soloists, a mixed choir, an organ, a harpsichord, and an orchestra rich in percussion instruments. A classic eight-section requiem lasting just over forty-five minutes, it expresses the complex emotions of a composer trying to come to terms with death. It will be performed by the Frank Martin Orchestra and the Ensemble Vocal de Lausanne, conducted by Thierry Fischer.
As Johann Sebastian Bach’s music profoundly influenced Frank Martin throughout his life, Thierry Fischer has chosen to precede the Requiem with Bach’s Magnificat, performed by Gli Angeli Genève. This work is perhaps the most concise of all the cantor’s works. In no other oratorio or cantata do we find a succession of such short and effective airs and choruses. It is as if the Latin prayer – the only one the Lutheran ever set to music – inspired this more succinct and impactful composition.