Czech Center New York in collaboration with Harmony Foundation and Czech Consulate General in New York will present Requiem 2021, a multimedia project commemorating the 20th Anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. Directed by Anna Eva Kotyza and set to the powerful score of Requiem "Oratio Spei" (Prayer of Hope) by the noted contemporary Slovak composer Juraj Filas, Requiem 2021 is an immersive cinematic artwork that will be projected on the walls of Bohemian National Hall.
Requiem 2021 features original animation mixed with clips of documentary footage creating a compelling and meditative tribute to the Filas' score and expressing empathy with those whose lives were forever changed.
"This project honors the memory of the victims and also sheds a light on the thousands who have suffered in the years since," says Anna Eva Kotyza. "To this day, first responders, construction workers, policemen, and bystanders are succumbing to cancer and other diseases a direct result of the toxic fumes and debris. Growing up a stone's throw away from the World Trade Center, I remember friends and neighbors getting their lung cancer diagnosis, still others who were struggling to return to normalcy after the horrors they had seen."
"I am sincerely happy that the young generation is not indifferent to the events which are still very much alive in our hearts and which, sadly, have not lost their relevance as a memento for the entire world," says Juraj Filas.
Requiem "Oratio Spei" was being finalized by Juraj Filas just as the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon were unfolding in real-time on television. Shocked by these horrendous acts of terrorism, Mr. Filas was moved to dedicate his work to the victims of 9/11.
The program will feature the recording from the 2013 Prague's Rudolfinum with singers from the Metropolitan Opera in New York, thanks to the efforts of the Harmony Foundation. Ana María Martínez - soprano, Matthew Plenk - tenor, Filip Bandžak - baritone, Kühn Mixed Choir, Prague Symphony Orchestra - FOK conducted by Kent Tritle.
An accompanying VR exhibition features three virtual reality works by visual artist Markéta Gebrian, America's Got Talent semi-finalist Alex Dowis, and VR Director Anna Eva Kotyza. Featuring individual tracks from Filas' score, the works include a documentary focused on the first responders, an abstract, poetic journey to the realms of the soul, and an immersive black-light theater performance piece.
Click here for more information and ticket link.
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