Lacrimosa (from Malhaar: A Requiem for Water)

Program Notes

This Lacrimosa interweaves the original Latin text from the requiem mass with the beautiful poetry of William O’Daly. The Lacrimosa begins: “Full of tears shall be that [judgement] day…” But O’Daly’s text asks a broader question: Without the presence of water, around us and inside us, how can we weep?

It was this beautiful and devastating pairing of texts that inspired me to write Malhaar.

(for the program note for the full requiem, please see Malhaar: A Requiem for Water)

Sometimes grief comes slowly, and gives us a chance to settle in. But other times, our entire world changes in an instant — that single phone call, those few words that snatch away the certainty of a moment ago, and leave us facing an abject darkness… that we have no choice but to breathe into, one excruciating and uncertain exhale at a time.

That is the grief of this Lacrimosa. It starts from a barely audible hum, the sound of cavernous emptiness, and marches slowly but inevitably towards the pain as it crushes everything in its path, and leaves us forever changed.

Recording

Text

Is this ever-descending water
human tears? Do they mean nothing?

Will the stoneheads that week
in the late afternoon fade away?

Without you, how will we weep
when we need to?

How will the earth smell
after the last drops of rain?

(–William O’Daly, In Franconia Gorge, Beltway Editions 2022)

Lacrimosa dies illa,
Qua resurget ex favilla.
Judicandus homoreus:
Huic ergo parce, Deus.

Dona eis Requiem.

Amen

Special Performance Requirements

This Lacrimosa movement of Malhaar requires a tabla player in addition to the choir. Please note that this work, though written specifically for musicians who have Hindustani technique and training, also requires the ability to follow a conductor and work within a Western musical setting. If you are looking to program this work with your ensemble and have not worked with Hindustani musicians before, please contact us to discuss logistics. We are happy to offer suggestions and make recommendations. That said: this is an ideal piece to use as a first collaboration between a choir and tabla player.

The tabla part is in vilambit Teentaal, and will require a Bb/A# tabla. The tabla player should be able to get a good sense of the work by listening to the recording above. The only things that the piece will require aside from playing a basic vilambit Teentaal are a few entrances and exits. If the tabla player has not followed a conductor or worked in a Western setting before, the conductor and tabla player should work together to practice cueing in and out, and following an ictus/beat pattern before the first rehearsal with the choir. Additionally, sharing this recording with a tabla player will help immensely in helping them practice getting in and out at the right times.

Please note that the tabla player will require:

• Amplification. Please consult with the tabla player prior to the first rehearsal about the amplification setup.
• A rug or floor covering. Please consult with the tabla player to see if they have a rug they can bring, or if they will need one.
• A podium (optional). Based on the sight lines and placement, a small podium might be required. A condutor’s podium, or possibly one used for cello soloists is ideal. This can be gauged at the first rehearsal.

Audio Guide

This is not available publicly yet, but can be made available to your ensemble if you are programming this work.

Additional Info

In addition to being an incredible poet, William O’Daly works for the California government, and just finished writing the most recent version of the California Water Plan. You can find it here.

If you are not familiar with the tabla, here is a beautiful introduction to the instrument by Shawn Mativetsky. Shawn has worked with many Western classical musicians to build works for the tabla, and is beautifully able to explain tabla theory and practice to those coming from a Western musical context.

Premiere/Performances

Malhaar: A Requiem for Water was commissioned by Los Angeles Master Chorale. It was premiered on March 26, 2023 at Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles, CA with Grant Gershon, conductor; Saili Oak, Hindustani vocals; Abhiman Kaushal, tabla; Graycen Gardner, soprano; Adam Faruqi, tenor; and Western percussionists Theresa Dimond and Daniel La France.

Press/Reviews

“Esmail, raised and now based in Los Angeles, is LAMC’s composer-in-residence and has created a fresh and profound choral jewel with Malhaar….Esmail’s new piece stirred the ear and soul and proposed a surprisingly supple and affecting cultural synthesis. The Requiem lives, ever renewable in creative hands.” — San Francisco Classical Voice review, Reena Esmail’s Malhaar Is a Rainmaker for Los Angeles Master Chorale

Spectrum News video coverage (March 24, 2023) about the LA Master Chorale premiere of Malhaar (Kristopher Gee)

“In a way,” Esmail said, “I almost feel like I’m finding musical cognates. Sometimes those cognates mean one thing in a certain culture and they mean another thing in another culture or language. And you can use those cognates to create this glue that allows people to understand each other, maybe without even realizing that they’re understanding each other.”
—Los Angeles Times feature (March 25, 2023) “California’s escalating water crisis galvanized composer Reena Esmail’s new work” (Tim Greiving)

“These days, we talk about representation a lot — the idea that ‘If you can see it, you can be it.” But I’ve found the opposite to be equally true: maybe if you can’t see it, that means IT IS YOU…I think about some of our major South Asian celebrities in other arts fields: Mindy Kaling, Hasan Minhaj, Kumail Nanjiani – they didn’t see what they do reflected in the world before they did it. They are trailblazers, and that’s something we admire most about their work.” — India West Journal, Composer Reena Esmail’s Unique New Work Blends Indian and Western Classical Music Traditions

“If you create a situation where people have a venue to be able to trust one another, then difficult conversations can happen.” That’s not just what composer Reena Esmail says, but also what she likes to do. Not just amongst the musicians who perform her music, but also amongst the artists and the audience at any given concert.”
— Cultural Attache feature (March 24, 2023) “Reena Esmail and her Water Music” (Craig Byrd)