I attended the memorial service at the Riverside Church in Manhattan this past Sunday. The service included a concert in memorial of those who served us on 9/11 and those who were affected by the earthquake in Japan this past Spring. The service began with a memorial service honoring those who have served our country and remembering the ones we have lost during that tragedy. A performance followed by the Queens College Orchestra and Chorus and the Japan and U.S. Memorial Orchestra and Chorus. I was particularly touched by Mozart’s Requiem KV626 because of its drama and numerous changes in tempo and dynamics.
Courtesy of Flickr
I found it captivating yet unsettling how the piece was divided into many movements which structured the long piece and also gave it fluidity and kept it from being strenuous and redundant. It gave it contrast between movements which commands attention. The origami paper cranes given out at the end of the memorial served as a nice and joyful touch to this time of mourning.
It is a challenge to perceive a big work like the Mozart Requiem, especially because it is broken up into individual movements. I think you need to mentally “edit out” the pauses between the movements and try to hear the “whole.” It was a memorable event.