In Catholic liturgy, the Requiem is the mass for the dead.
There are famous musical requiems by composers including Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Giuseppe Verdi.
But composer Dan Forrest took a different approach when he wrote a Requiem.
His version is called “Requiem for the Living.”
Since “requiem” is a prayer for rest, Forrest decided to focus on the idea of rest for people who are still alive but who are affected by grief.
“Right here, right now, people who are alive and remain, trying to figure out what their place is in this life and trying to process loss and grief and pain and brokenness that we encounter all around us,” Forrest said.
Dan Forrest’s "Requiem for the Living" will be performed in Traverse City this weekend.
It’s part of the Mel Larimer Concert Series, and it’s a benefit concert for Ukraine..
Russ Larimer had the idea to perform this piece, and he’ll also be conducting it this weekend.
He was compelled to do something in response to the war in Ukraine.
“Music is such a normal, natural outgrowth of expressing our feelings,” Larimer said. “If we can combine that opportunity to express our feelings with the potential to raise some funds to make a difference in Ukraine, I think it’s a win-win situation.”
The ensemble performing the "Requiem for the Living" is made up of about 125 local musicians.
They’re all donating their time for the performance.
Angela Lickiss Aleo plays the oboe. She’s one of the members of the orchestra that will be performing in the concert this weekend.
She and her husband Keith, who is a percussionist, were looking for a way to help relief efforts in Ukraine.
“We’ve been talking a lot about it in our house and trying to figure out a way that we can contribute in a way that’s meaningful and valuable,” she said.
They’ll both be playing in the orchestra.
“It seemed like the natural way for us to give back in the best way that we can,” Lickiss Aleo said.
Composer Dan Forrest says that this performance of his "Requiem for the Living" is a response to feeling powerless over the war in Ukraine.
To him, this performance of his music is a chance for the musicians and the audience members to share grief with those whose lives have been devastated.
“I’d like to think there’s some power in empathy,” Forrest said.
The performance of "Requiem for the Living" by Dan Forrest takes place this Sunday at 2 p.m. at First Congregational Church in Traverse City.
