TROTTA. Requiem. Premiere in Latvia

Viktorija Majore (soprano)
Inese Romancāne (soprano)
Rihards Millers (baritone)
Aigars Reinis (organ)

VEF Culture Palace Mixed Choir – JASMĪNAS KORIS
Jelgava Culture Center Mixed Choir – MĪTAVA

Conductor: Raimonds Gulbis

Programme: M. J. Trotta, Ē. Ešenvalds, R. Dubra, J. Jančevskis

Michael John Trotta’s Requiem is a masterpiece of contemporary academic music, in which a spiritually and emotionally fresh approach is combined with the principles of the traditional genre. The American composer Michael John Trotta creates music that unites tradition and innovation. From Carnegie Hall to cathedrals and concert halls around the world, Trotta’s music is performed widely — elegant, melodic, and imbued with profound spiritual significance. His works are characterized by “gentle harmonies and a rich palette of vocal and instrumental colors” (Gramophone).

Following the success of Trotta’s Seven Last Words, Gloria, Magnificat, and Te Deum, the Requiem emerges as the next major work in the composer’s oeuvre. Originally commissioned for eight choirs and orchestra, the work offers grace, hope, and consolation to those who have experienced loss. While rooted in the traditional Requiem form, the music is gentle, love-infused, and luminous, blending contemporary harmonies with motifs from Gregorian chant into a rich and expressive texture.