The requiem is dedicated to well-known music critic Larysa Bondarenko (Valentyn Sylvestrov’s deceased wife). She died all of a sudden in 1996. Her death devastated the composer so much that he even stated that he would put an end to his music career and compose the last work as a dedication to his beloved wife. He was composing the work in 1997-99. Sylvestrov called it A Requiem for Larysa. In this work for a mixed choir, soloists, and a symphony orchestra Latin and canonic texts are used, as well as the verse from Taras Shevchenko’s poem Dream. The work was performed for the first time in 2000 and caused wide response among the music critics.
Incidentally, A Requiem for Larysa was nominated for Grammy Award in the category “Best Classical Contemporary Composition” in 2005, and the performance of Requiem by Dumka Choir and the National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine won in the category “Best Choral Performance.” On February 24 Sylvestrov’s music masterpiece will be performed by the same lineup, and the soloists will include two mezzo sopranos, Anzhelina Shvachka and Oksana Nikitiuk, and tenor Oleksandr Biloshapka.
