Meriç Artaç – Requiem for Mariza

The requiem originated in the church as a sung mass for the dead. Over time, it evolved into a music genre in its own right. Each year, the November Music Festival in Den Bosch invites a contemporary composer to write a new work inspired by this musical tradition: the Bosch Requiem. To mark the tenth anniversary of the Opera Forward Festival (OFF), the two festivals have joined forces to commission Meriç Artaç. The work will have its world premiere in concert form—without elaborate sets, costumes or staging—at November Music, before being presented as a music theatre production at OFF.

Poetic and multi-layered

Meriç Artaç has a deep passion for multidisciplinary work and has composed several operas and music theatre pieces, including Madam Koo and The Arrival of Mr. Z.  For Requiem for Mariza, she set to music a libretto by Dutch writer Sarah Sluimer, who is known for her sharp wit and her ability to intertwine the personal and the political in richly imaginative texts. The stage direction is by Silvia Costa, who has rapidly built an impressive career in the international opera world. Her ability to create poetic and multi-layered productions has made her a highly sought-after director. The New European Ensemble is conducted by Sora Elisabeth Lee, who is on the brink of an international breakthrough as a conductor and is making her debut at Dutch National Opera with Requiem for Mariza.