In Artaç’s Requiem for Mariza, we follow the fortunes of the protagonist, Mariza. During this musical journey, Mariza finds herself in an in-between space: she sways back and forth between the life she knew and an unfathomable future. Trapped in this intermediate zone, and accompanied by the mysterious companion Ra, she begins her farewell: not only to the memories that shaped her life, but also to the moments she never experienced, the paths she never walked, and the person she never became. She bids farewell to regret, missed opportunities, and possibilities that were never realized.

This new composition retains the structure of a traditional Requiem, in which existing Requiem texts are interwoven with newly written verses by Sarah Sluimer, reflecting on the stages of mourning. Artaç combines the rich sound palette of the New European Ensemble with electronics and the expressive tones of the erhu (a two-stringed bowed instrument, also known as the Chinese violin), thus creating a soundscape in which the final echoes of Mariza resonate. The singers of Cappella Amsterdam represent the community and the collective story of which Mariza was once a part. During this total musical experience, the audience is invited to participate in a journey into the deepest unknown of our lives. The transition ritual becomes a collective journey, in which the audience is invited, through the experience of Mariza, to reflect on the complexity of life and the search for meaning.