Mystery 14 Human Requiem in Eleusis
project
Description
Mystery 14 Human Requiem in Eleusis was a site-specific performance of 2023 Eleusis European Capital of Culture, directed by Jochen Sandig and choreographed by Sasha Waltz, with the participation of the 65-member Berlin Radio Choir (Rundfunkchor Berlin), held at the Eleusis archaeological site from 29 September until 1 October 2023.
Mystery 14 Human Requiem in Eleusis was a transcendental musical creation-contemplation designed specifically for the archaeological site of Elefsina, attempting to raise the same existential questions that the famous Eleusinian Mysteries have posed for almost two millennia. The ancient sanctuary of Elefsina was transformed into an open public space of collective catharsis, where text and body, space and sound were fused into a single work of art. This was not a mass for the dead, but rather a rite celebrating life: a memento mori (remember you must die) being transformed into carpe diem (seize the day). An experience of collective catharsis rooted in the recognition that mortality unites all human beings in a common fate.
Based on Johannes Brahms’ composition “A German Requiem”, the performance also involved the participation of one of the world’s finest choral ensembles, the Berlin Radio Choir (Rundfunkchor Berlin) under the direction of Gijs Leenaars, where each of the singers filled the space with their voices as soloists: soprano Marlis Petersen, baritone Benjamin Appl, Angela Gassenhuber and Philip Mayers at the piano, as well as soloists from the dance group Sasha Waltz & Guests. The performance has toured around the world, from New York to Hong Kong, Berlin and Athens to Adelaide, and from Amsterdam to Granada. In 2016 it won the Classical: NEXT Innovation Award, while the New York Times acclaimed it as “an anthem for our time”.
The performance Mystery 14 Human Requiem in Eleusis was filmed by the French director Stephan Talneau. The film had its Avant Premiere on April 4, in the packed UNESCO hall in Paris, while the film had its world premiere, in the presence of its creators, at the Cine Eleusis on Saturday, April 27, and one day later, on Sunday, April 28, it was presented at the Athens Concert Hall.
A co-production of 2023 Eleusis European Capital of Culture, the World Human Forum, the Berlin Radio Choir, the Federal Foreign Office of the Federal Republic of Germany, Sasha Waltz & Guests and Radialsystem-Berlin. Supported by the Ephorate of Antiquities of West Attica.
Archival Research
Artists
Jochen Sandig, Sasha Waltz, Brad Hwang, André Pronk, Holger Schwark, Stephan Talneau, Gijs Leenaars, Justus Barleben, Marlis Petersen, Benjamin Appl, Angela Gassenhuber, Philip Mayers, Davide Camplani, Claudia de Serpa Soares, Ilka Seifert, Clémentine Deluy, Claudia de Serpa de Soares, Virgis Puodziunas
Stages of Implementation
Performances Dates: Friday 29 & Saturday 30 September 2023, Sunday 1 October 2023 || Screening Dates: 4 April 2024, 27 April 2024, 28 April 2024
Partners
Χορωδία της Ραδιοφωνίας του Βερολίνου (Rundfunkchor Berlin), World Human Forum, Υπουργείο Εξωτερικών της Ομοσπονδιακής Δημοκρατίας της Γερμανίας (Federal Foreign Office of the Federal Republic of Germany), Sasha Waltz & Guests, Radialsystem-Berlin, Εφορεία Αρχαιοτήτων Δυτικής Αττικής (Ephorate of Antiquities of Western Attica)
Tickets Policy
Ticket prices: 25€ general admission, 15€ students, 65+, unemployed, people with disabilities & accompanying persons (the ticket price includes entrance to the archaeological site)
Category
Axes
CC-License
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