Zad Moultaka Marks Stravinsky Anniversary and Raises Funds For Beirut Students

French-Lebanese composer Zad Moultaka will perform the world premiere of his new musical and visual composition, Requiem for a New World, at Basilica S.S. Giovanni e Paolo in Venice on 16th September at 8.30pm.

Featuring Igor Stravinsky's (1882 - 1971) final composition, Requiem Canticles, Moultaka's unique musical and visual concert will pay tribute to the composer in the venue where his funeral was held and marking the 50th anniversary of his death.

Requiem for a New World will raise money to 50,000 young students in need affected by the tragic Beirut explosion in 2020.

Requiem for a New World is inspired by the theme of ritual found in Stravinsky's work, which expresses the power of shared experience and the feeling of collective energy inherent to ceremonial events. For the main composition in the performance, Moultaka also draws from a new text by the renowned Lebanese poet Etel Adnan. In the poem, Adnan describes the moment the human race decides to migrate to outer space and reflects on the process of how to establish the beginnings of a new civilization.

The concert will be performed by an orchestra of 60 column loudspeakers conducted by Roland Hayrabedian, founder of vocal performance company Musicatreize, which will also be
participating as a choir alongside the counter-tenor Raffaele Pe. The performance will be accompanied by projected visuals and animated lighting designed by Moultaka and timed to
the music, illuminating the spiritual space of the Basilica. All funds from the concert donated to the event's partner charity, arcenciel, will support the country's 50,000 young students, whose access to higher education have been severely impacted by the tragic Beirut explosion in 2020. arcenciel will fund scholarships for vulnerable students and supply devices and stable internet for online learning.

Tickets are available via Eventbrite and the live stream can be viewed here.