March 14, 2018
Ridley Centre, Adelaide Showground

The beauty of Human Requiem is that, as it promises, it is not a concert. Audience and performers share the same space, breathe the same air, in an experience which is music, theatre and dance all in one. As reinvented by director Jochen Sandig, Brahms’ A German Requiem explores themes of death and resurrection, sorrow and joy, in a confronting, poignant and wholly beautiful way.

Human Requiem. Photo © Matthias Heyde

There was a subtle ritualistic feel to the set, established from the very beginning. Before entering the performance space, every audience member had to take off their shoes and, as if passing into another world, must leave bags and belongings behind. The performance space at the Adelaide Showground’s Ridley Centre was a large room, empty except for the crowd, and lined with soft boards on which bare feet made about as much noise as a ghost.

As the lights dimmed and the audience hushed, the first notes flowed out of the twilight: the gossamer tones of a piano, placed at the edge of the space and played throughout with sensitivity and colour by Philip Mayers...