Requiem: For the Living

From Verdi and Mozart to Stravinsky and Britten, the requiem has been a musical tradition used by many composers to remind us of life’s indeterminacy. American composer Arthur Gottschalk’s momentous masterwork, REQUIEM: FOR THE LIVING, an 8-movement, 45 minute work for full orchestra, chorus, and four soloists, including tenor Alberto Mizrahi and Grammy-nominated soprano Lauren Snouffer, resigns the fear of uncertainty by celebrating the rich narrative of Western art and culture.

Gottschalk commemorates Western music, quoting many genres from its history, from Renaissance madrigals and Classical sonatas to jazz, pop, and blues. Alongside some of the traditional Requiem Mass texts, the composer sets words by influential philosophers, spiritual leaders, and authors, from Buddha and Mohammad to George Eliot and Duke Ellington. By honoring Western and Eastern thought, innovation, and art, Gottschalk creates a holistic and humanistic work that attempts to embrace people and beliefs from almost all parts of the world.

A man whose music is described as “rapturous, argumentative, and prickly” (Gramophone Magazine), “fascinatingly strange” (BBC Music Magazine), and “brainy and jazzy” (American Record Guide), award-winning composer Arthur Gottschalk is Professor of Music Composition and Theory at Rice University’s Shepherd School of Music. He is student of renowned American composers William Bolcom, Ross Lee Finney, and Leslie Bassett.