Symphony Silicon Valley is doing, as I’m sure you’ve read here before, Verdi’s Requiem. But it’s more than that. Really.
After we tune the conductor walks out to take his bow. Then we wait. For a rather long time. In total silence. The lights are down lower than usual. We have been instructed to sit completely still, heads bowed.
After a time you see them. Slowly and carefully eight men, dressed all in black, carry a casket out on stage. They then open the casket and a light from above shines down on it. You can see the body—a beautiful, 20-ish woman, dressed all in white lace, holding one single rose—inside. (Yes, they are using a real person!)
The audience does a little gasp (they aren’t expecting such a thing).
The light above then dims as the casket is quietly and carefully closed.
Then we play.
For about 1 hour and 30 minutes.
Then, at the end … when the choir is singing “libera me” … an even brighter light than prior to the start of the orchestra’s performance shines down again on the casket. The casket is then opened by the tenor and bass who were soloing. The body, somewhat magically, rises out (it’s amazing what one can do these days with wires that are invisible to the audience) … and it is as if the body is going up into heaven. The body goes all the way up to where the audience can no longer see it.
You know how it is. These days people need visuals. So we’ve added this for the audience.
We are nice that way. 😉
For more on this performance just go here.
