Human Requiem in Eleusis is a flagship 2023 Eleusis event to be presented at the archaeological site of the city’s ancient sanctuary. The ancient Eleusinian Mysteries constitute the starting point of this site-specific re-creation of Human Requiem, a work based on Johannes Brahms’ Ein Deutsches Requiem (A German Requiem). This transcendental musical work reflects upon the same existential questions as did the legendary Eleusinian Mysteries, practised for almost two millennia during antiquity. It is not a Mass for the dead but rather a rite celebrating life: a memento mori made into a carpe diem. The production seeks to induce an experience of collective catharsis rooted in the recognition that mortality unites all humans within a singular fate. German director Jochen Sandig has – together with choreographer Sasha Waltz, visual artist Brad Hwang, and other artistic associates – developed the concept of a ritualistic performance and immersive experience of Brahms’ Requiem for the Rundfunkchor Berlin (Berlin Radio Choir).
Human Requiem has toured the world since its creation in 2012, with the New York Times acclaiming it as “an anthem for our time.” Johannes Brahms composed his Ein Deutsches Requiem not as a Mass for the dead but rather as a gripping, interfaith work of consolation for the living. Jochen Sandig takes the composer at his word, transforming the piece into a Human Requiem and a concert event for everyone. His staged and choreographed production turns the profoundly human and interfaith message of the Requiem into a sensual experience, focusing on love that overcomes pain and grief, and celebrating life in its finite nature. The Rundfunkchor Berlin, conducted by Gijs Leenaars, works miracles on this interdisciplinary work, with each of its singers filling the space with their voices as soloists. The ancient sanctuary of Eleusis is to be transformed into an open, communal space of collective catharsis, where text and body, space and sound are merged within a total work of art. The performances are also set to be captured by filmmaker David Haneke together with Jochen Sandig to create a film of the work that will live on. They will additionally be intertwined with a three-day symposium on how ancestral wisdom combined with modern research can lead us today to much needed human transformation.
