HOLOCAUST REQUIEM BORIS PIGOVAT

B. 1953

Originally from Ukraine when the nation was a constituent Soviet Socialist Republic, Pigovat attended Gnessin Music Institute, one of the most prestigious music schools in Russia. His earliest works, a string quartet and a piano

Modeled after the Catholic Mass for the dead, the Holocaust Requiem takes inspiration from the traditional Latin Requiem text. The first movement is entitled Requiem aeternam, for the incipit Mass Introit text “Requiem aeternam dona eis, Domine’’ (eternal rest give unto them, O Lord), which frames what is to follow as a prayer. Grief is immediately established with the low sustained strings, over which a quiet clarinet plays a theme framed by weeping minor seconds. This theme recurs throughout the movement, heard next in the flute and then in the solo viola. When the viola—and the accompanying orchestra—play the same note repeatedly, the resulting rhythm is an intentional evocation of chanting the “Requiem aeternam” text; this rhythm becomes the second foundational theme of the movement. The descending minor seconds become frenzied in the development section, with the increased tempo and loud, biting brass and percussion creating an atmosphere of panic and confusion. After a tutti statement of the first theme, the solo viola reenters and brings the movement to a meditative close. The second movement, Dies irae, takes inspiration from several sources, the first being the text from the fifth movement of the Latin Requiem: “Dies irae, dies illa, solvet saeclum in favilla” (This day of wrath shall turn the world to ashes). After disjointed strings, the brass enters as if a chorale, imitating the chant of the Latin text and establishing a guiding melody for the movement. Pigovat combined the Dies irae’s theme of destruction with a verse from the Lamentations of Jeremiah (Lamentations 1:20) that states, “Outside, the sword brings bereavement; inside, it is like death,” as well as the Yizkor, the Jewish memorial prayer for the dead, to evoke his inner horror. Throughout the movement there are sarcastic dances that seem at odds with the idea of a requiem; however, the dance macabre reflects the grotesque dehumanization of the Holocaust and the repeated rhythms imitate the Nazi machine of death.

After the horror of the Dies irae, the Lacrimosa evokes what comes from the world turning to ashes: pain and despair. The inspiring text for the third movement, “Lacrimosa dies illa, qua resurget ex favilla judicandus homo reus” (That day is one of weeping, on which shall rise again from the ashes the guilty man, to be judged), comes from the end of the Latin Mass Dies irae text. Screaming in the higher register, the opening viola solo continues the frenzied horror of the previous movement. As the angry crying fades away in confusion, the viola recalls the rapid descending minor second theme from the first movement. Exhausted from rage, lush, sustained strings create a weeping lament.

A horn solo connects the third and fourth movements with the melody of the Shema, one of the most recited Jewish prayers: “Hear O Israel, the Lord is our God, the Lord is One, Blessed is the name of his glorious kingdom for ever and ever.” The sense of hope in the Shema is also found in the Lux aeterna text (the ninth of twelve movements of the Latin Requiem Mass), which asks for peace. Harp arpeggios, soaring major harmonies, and an emphasis on the higher register create a calm, dream-like atmosphere, bringing peace and light to the victims of Babyn Yar and the Holocaust. The solo viola concludes with a final intonation of the Shema, supported by a dissonant chord that remembers the horror while praying for peace.

Program notes by Elizabeth Massey, Ph.D.

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