Composer Sven Helbig has stated that the letter A in the title of this work stands for the German words Atem (“breath”) and Anfang (“beginning”), both of which play roles in the text of his Requiem A. Listeners are encouraged to invest in the physical version of his album, where he speaks at greater length about the name; the notes are framed as a conversation between the composer and his 14-year-old daughter, and it was she who suggested the name, pointing to the sense of renewal as well as memory that characterizes the requiem mass. Helbig has played jazz and rock drums in addition to composing classical music, and while one doesn’t hear these rhythms directly, the influence is there, for instance, in the narrative quality of the electronics in the background.
Author: exy
Published at: 2025-08-18 22:20:41
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