Requiem pour L.: Alain Platel and Fabrizio Cassol's Festive Reflection on Death and Life

Alain Platel and Fabrizio Cassol's 'Requiem pour L.' for Les Ballet C de la B premiered at Festival Aperto in Reggio Emilia, Italy, in November 2018. The piece reorchestrates Mozart's Requiem with influences from Indian and Malian traditions, performed by fifteen musicians and singers led by Rodriguez Vangama. It features a black-and-white slow-motion video of a dying woman (L.), filmed at her request, which has drawn criticism for being intrusive and manipulative, notably from Luke Jennings in The Guardian (25 March 2018). The work reflects on mortality and joy, inspired by Cassol witnessing a funeral in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo. The set design recalls Peter Eisenman's Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe in Berlin. The performance runs 1 hour 40 minutes without intermission.