Requiem for infinity
Idea: Pavel Šimák and Tom Rychetský
Choreography: Tom Rychetský
Music: Antonín Dvořák, Requiem B-flat minor, Op. 89 selection (Requiem Aeternam,
Dies Irae, Confutatis Maledictus, Sanctus, Agnus Dei)
Directed by: Pavel Šimák
Set and costume design: Petra Lebdušková
Light design: Jakub Sloup
Assistant Choreography: Linda Svidró
Premiere: 22.10.2017 Vinohrady Theatre Prague
Performing: 8 soloists of Prague Chamber Ballet
Duration: 40 minutes
Dance story about touching the issues which are situated between the start and end of life,
maybe even beyond. Choreography which does not focus on the pure attractiveness of
movement but attempts to tell the story of a particular man’s destiny within the framework
of Dvořák’s Requiem’s spiritual space – destiny of a man who is struggling throughout the
time given to him… A requiem is, by definition, a “mass for the deceased”. However, in our
rendition, it is the expression of faith and our conviction that life energy can’t just simply
disappear, that it is transformed and passed further on – not unlike dance which also has
infinitely many forms…
“I come from infinity… And I go to the remote eternity. There will always be a tomorrow. Even today was tomorrow some time ago.”
(Johannes Mario Simmel, Austrian writer)
Antonín Dvořák composed his Requiem during the peak period of his creative production – in
the year 1890. The composition is not related to a particular person or event; it is one big
reflection of the generally disturbing questions of human existence, sadness and consolation
in death, meaning of life, death and hope. Dvořák was a deeply religious man. Therefore,
even this brilliant piece of work is imbued with admirable purity of faith, spirituality, humility
and exceptional authenticity of thoughts. All the emotions which it inspires in us have
their source in Dvořák’s personal philosophy and its artistic realisation is, in terms of form
and content, impeccable.