Leeds Grand Theatre – until Sunday 4 June 2023
Reviewed by Dawn Smallwood
4****
Opera North, Phoenix Dance Theatre and two South African companies, Jazzart Dance Theatre and Cape Town Opera, collaborate ON Requiem, Journeys of the Soul. Opera North and Phoenix Dance Theatre. They have previously collaborated back in 2021 on West Side Story Symphonic Dances and the idea of doing Mozart’s Requiem arose then.
The programme begins with Requiem (Mass for the Dead, K626) which was composed by Mozart up to his death and was completed by Franz Xaver Süssmayr in 1792. Franz Von Walsegg originally commissioned Requiem to commemorate the first anniversary of his wife’s death. Mozart’s Requiem is extremely popular and universally links to mourning by anyone anywhere and have given other composers impetus to make requiems after tragic events.
The second piece of work in the double bill, Neo Muyanga’s After Tears (After a Requiem) is next performed. The contemporary piece of work is having its world premiere and links to new and existing traditions with experiences of loss in South Africa. This vibrant and colourful piece also emphasises the need to move forward collectively and after loss. Dane Hurst, the director and choreographer, discusses the roots of this work which goes back to the Covid-19 pandemic where numerous emotions were triggered particularly with the loss and sorrow. Hurst feels it is appropriate to stage this work in response to this.
A multicultural cast, singers, and dancers, from the four companies, perform to Mozart’s sublimely ingenious Requiem and Muyanga’s After Tears through song and contemporary dance, which triggers feelings evocatively and profoundly, to present post-modem contexts. It is certainly very well put together and all supported with the Chorus of Opera North and under the baton of Garry Walker.
Requiem: Journeys of the Soul, through these excellent works, resonates with regards to remembering and reviving the next steps. Opera North, Phoenix Dance Theatre, Jazzart Dance Theatre and Cape Town Opera have successfully staged this international collaboration with contemporary dancing and soulful singing to moving music. Both works are creatively supported with ambient staging and visuals courtesy of Joanna Parker and Peter Mumford