Requiem

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Requiem in D minor (KV 626), an emblematic work of the sacred repertoire, remains one of the best-known compositions in the history of classical music. Completed after Mozart’s untimely death, this masterpiece combines dramatic power, spiritual depth and melodic beauty.

This arrangement of the Requiem for women’s choir and piano was born from a desire to make this essential work accessible to female vocal ensembles. The beauty of the Requiem lies in its ability to evoke powerful emotions, and this arrangement aims to preserve its musical and emotional integrity while exploring the richness of the female timbres.

More than simply octaviating the tenor and bass parts, the aim was to create a rich and coherent harmonic texture which underlines the unique qualities of the female voices. The fugal and contrapuntal passages have been meticulously rewritten to highlight Mozart’s magnificent melodies in a new configuration suited to a choir of equal voices. Each voice has been carefully thought out to allow the choristers to express themselves fully, while preserving the essence of the original work. The piano supports and enriches the voices, replacing the orchestra while respecting the intensity and harmonic balance of the piece.
This version of the Requiem offers female vocal ensembles a unique opportunity to become familiar with a major work of the classical repertoire, to make it their own and to share with their audience in a new way all the spiritual and emotional depth of this music. Adapted for equal voices choir and piano, it also opens the door to new auditory experiences for the audience and offers them an original perspective on the Requiem revealing, in a more intimate interpretation, nuances and subtleties that can escape in the traditional version.

I hope that this edition will help to spread the word about this original arrangement, and that it will inspire many new interpretations and beautiful moments of musical communion for women’s ensembles around the world.

Bastien Bernier
(translation Hjördis Romain)