Russian Requiem
for boy-soprano, mezzo-soprano, bass, boys’ choir, mixed choir and orchestra
1. Prelude – Lord, have mercy
Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, have mercy on us. (3 times)
(The Trisagion)
Lord, cleanse our sins. O Holy One, visit and heal our infirmities for Thy name’s sake. Lord, have mercy, Lord, have mercy, Lord.
Glory now and always, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
Our Father, Who art in Heaven! Hallowed be Thy Name; Thy Kingdom come; Thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
(The Lord’s Prayer)
Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, have mercy on us. (3 times)
Lord, have mercy, Lord, have mercy, Lord …
2. Not Under a Foreign Sky
Lord.
No, not under a foreign sky,
Nor sheltered by foreign wings—
I was there with my people then,
Where my people, unfortunately, were.
(Anna Akhmatova, “Requiem,” 1961)
Do not weep for me, Mother, seeing me in the tomb …
(Anna Akhmatova, “Requiem,” Epigraph, 1940)
3. I Scream – and the Scream is Beastly
I scream – and the scream is beastly!
Judge me, Lord!
Between the gears of the machine
My flesh is groaning.
Lord, have mercy, Lord, have mercy, Lord, have mercy on me, Lord, God, Lord!
I scream – and the scream is beastly!
Judge me, Lord!
Between the gears of the machine
My flesh is groaning.
(Zinaida Gippius, “Speak of the Joyful,” 1916)
4. Prayer to the New Martyrs of Russia. Stars of Death.
“O great passion-bearers, new martyrs of Russia, we bow down to you with love and, reverently kissing your wounds, we glorify your feats and pray: pray for our souls.”
(Service to the New Martyrs and Confessors of Russia)
“It was when only the dead could smile,
Glad to be at peace.
And Leningrad dangled like a useless appendage
Next to its prisons.
And when maddened by torment,
The already condemned walked,
And the short songs of parting
Were sung by the train whistles.
Death stars hung over us,
And innocent Russia writhed
Under the bloody boots
And under the wheels of black Marias.
(Anna Akhmatova, “Requiem,” 1935)
5. Have Mercy on Me, O God
Have mercy on me, O God. According to Your great mercy and the abundance of Your compassion, blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin.
For I know my transgressions and my sin is always before me. (3 times)
Against You, You alone, have I sinned and done what is evil in Your sight. So You are right in Your verdict and justified when You judge.
Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me. Do not cast me from Your presence or take Your Holy Spirit from me.
Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, and grant me a willing spirit to sustain me. Then I will teach transgressors Your ways so that sinners will turn back to You. Deliver me from bloodguilt.
O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth will declare Your praise.
Lord, have mercy on me, O God. According to Your great mercy, O Lord.
(Psalm 50)
Here’s a direct translation of the text:
6. Pray For Me
The quiet Don flows silently,
The yellow moon enters the house.
It enters, tilted in its cap—
The yellow moon sees the shadow.
This woman is sick,
This woman is alone,
Her husband’s in the grave, her son’s in prison,
Pray for me.
(Anna Akhmatova, “Requiem,” 1938)
Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, have mercy on us. Holy God, have mercy on us.
Lord, have mercy (4 times). Holy God, Mighty, Immortal, have mercy on us.
What could I say to them? How could I comfort? No country has mastered the art of mutilating the souls of its subjects with Russian inevitability, and no one with a pen can heal them: No, this is only within the power of the Almighty, and He has plenty of time for that.
(Joseph Brodsky, “A Room and a Half,” 1985)
The quiet Don flows silently,
The yellow moon enters the house.
It enters, tilted in its cap—
The yellow moon sees the shadow.
(Anna Akhmatova, “Requiem,” 1938)
7. My Refuge and My Fortress
My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust. (3 times)
He will deliver you from the snare of the fowler. He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings, you will be safe.
God, my shield and my defence. My God, my refuge and my fortress, in whom I trust.
(3 times)
(Psalm 91)
My Lord.
My God. (4 times)
9. Night – Prayers for the Departed
Night, street, lamp, pharmacy,
A pointless and dim light.
Live another quarter century—
Everything will be the same. There’s no way out.
You’ll die and start all over again,
And everything will repeat as before:
Night, the icy ripple of the canal,
Pharmacy, street, lamp.
(Alexander Blok, 1912)
Remember, O Lord, the souls of Thy departed servants, and forgive all their sins, both voluntary and involuntary. Grant them Thy kingdom and partake them of Thy eternal blessings and the enjoyment of Thy endless and blessed life.
(Prayer for the Departed)
It all was there: the lamp, pharmacy,
The street, a kiss,
Fountain, dictatorship, Mnishik,
Eugene and the Neva night…
Friends with two sets of eyes,
Mist from our minds,
How pointless it is to love the dead,
How late it is to love the living.
(Viktor Sosnora, 1970s)
Remember, O Lord, all who have fallen asleep in the hope of resurrection and eternal life, and with Thy saints, where the light of Thy countenance illuminates, O God, settle them, and have mercy on us, for Thou art Good and Man-loving. Amen. Lord God, grant them eternal memory, O Lord.
(Prayer for the Departed)
11. The Most High God Has Risen and Judges
The Most High God has risen to judge
The earthly gods in their assembly;
How long, He asks, how long will you
Spare the unrighteous and the wicked?
Your duty is to preserve the laws,
Not to look at the faces of the powerful,
Not to leave orphans and widows
Without help, without defence.
Your duty is to save the innocent,
To offer shelter to the unfortunate;
To protect the powerless from the powerful,
To free the poor from their shackles.
They do not listen! They see but do not know!
Their eyes are covered with scales:
Evil deeds shake the earth,
Injustice destabilizes the heavens.
Kings! I thought you were divinely empowered,
That no one above you could judge,
But you, like me, are also passionate,
And just as mortal as I am.
And you, too, will fall, just as
A withered leaf from a tree will fall!
And you, too, will die, just as
Your last servant will die!
Rise, O God! God of the righteous!
And listen to their prayers:
Come, judge, punish the wicked
And be the only king of the earth!
(Gavrila Derzhavin, “To Rulers and Judges,” 1780)
12. Good that there’s no Tsar
Good that there’s no Tsar.
Good that there’s no Russia.
Good that there’s no God.
Only the yellow dawn.
Only the icy stars.
Only millions of years.
Good that—there’s nothing,
Good that—there’s no one,
So black and so dead …
(Georgy Ivanov, 1930)
Hey, let’s sing! Hey, let’s sing!
One more time, one more time
Hey, let’s sing! We’ll unravel the birch,
We’ll unravel the curly one,
Ah, one more time,
Ah, one more time
We’ll unravel the curly one.
Hey, let’s sing! Hey, let’s sing!
(Russian Folk Song)
Good that there’s no Tsar.
Good that there’s no Russia.
Good that there’s no God.
Only the yellow dawn.
Only the icy stars.
Only millions of years.
Good that—there’s nothing,
Good that—there’s no one,
So black and so dead …
So dead that it can’t be deader,
And blacker it cannot be,
That no one will help us,
And help is not needed.
(Georgy Ivanov, 1930)
13. Troparia for the Repose of Souls
Refrain:
Blessed are You, O Lord, teach me Your statutes.
The assembly of the saints has found the source of life and the door to Paradise; may I also find the way through repentance. I am the lost sheep, call me back, O Savior, and save me.
Refrain
Proclaiming the Lamb of God and being slain like lambs, you, the holy ones, have passed over to a life that never ages. Therefore, fervently intercede with the Lord to grant us the remission of our debts.
Refrain
You who have followed the narrow and painful path, taking up the cross as a yoke in your lifetime, and have followed Me in faith, come and enjoy the honors and crowns I have prepared for you in Heaven.
Refrain
Give rest, O God, to Your servants, and place them in Paradise, where the faces of the saints and the righteous shine like stars. Give rest to Your departed ones, overlooking all their transgressions. Amen.
(Troparia for the Repose of Souls, Tone 5 (1))
14. That Which Has No Name
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia. Glory to You, God! (3 times)
Russia is happiness. Russia is light.
Or perhaps Russia is no more.
And the sunset over the Neva did not fade away.
And there is neither Petersburg nor the Kremlin—
Just snow, snow, fields, fields…
Alleluia. Lord.
Snow, snow, snow. And the night is long.
And it will never end.
(Georgy Ivanov, 1931)
Night, icy ripples of the canal,
A pharmacy, a street, a lantern.
(Alexander Blok, 1912)
Russia is silence. Russia is dust.
Or perhaps Russia is only fear?
A rope, a bullet, icy darkness,
And music that drives one mad.
A rope, a bullet, penal dawn,
Over that which has no name in the world?
(Georgy Ivanov, 1931)
16. Country of Slaves, Country of Lords
Farewell, unwashed Russia,
Country of slaves, country of lords.
And you, blue uniforms,
And you, people loyal to them.
(Mikhail Lermontov, 1841)
I am lonely—no solace:
Bare walls all around,
The lamp’s dying light
Flickers dimly;
Only audible: behind the doors,
With resonant, measured steps,
Walks in the silence of the night
A voiceless sentry.
(Mikhail Lermontov, “The Prisoner”, 1837)
Farewell, unwashed Russia,
Country of slaves, country of lords.
And you, blue uniforms,
And you, people loyal to them.
(Mikhail Lermontov, 1841)
Terrible and boring.
Here’s a new abode,
A path and a night’s lodging.
Cramped and stuffy,
Clouds and snow.
The sun doesn’t shine,
The sky is barely visible,
As if from prison.
The sun is offended.
The traveller will not meet
Anything but darkness.
(Alexander Pushkin, 1829)
Farewell, unwashed Russia,
Country of slaves, country of lords.
And you, blue uniforms,
And you, people loyal to them.
(Mikhail Lermontov, 1841)
17. Prisoner’s Prayer to the Guardian Angel
Angel of God! (3 times)
Even in these days, you have not departed from me, but only, as a pure spirit, have been saddened by me, a worthless servant.
Preserve me healthy during this night and in this prison. Drive away insomnia from me.
Grant me the strength of bodily powers to endure the bitter labour imposed upon me as a punishment…
Our Father in Heaven! Let Your kingdom come, as in heaven so on earth.
Above all, drive away from me the confusion of the soul and harmful grumbling: for being confused at heart, I do not wish to look upon anyone or anything and am constantly upset here. Grant tears to my eyes and quiet speech to my lips. Do not depart from me, Holy Angel, and when my soul will be separated from the body. O, my Guardian! Then summoned to pray for me the other bodiless powers, that by your intercession I may be forgiven forever, Angel of God!
(Prisoner’s Prayer to the Guardian Angel)
Have mercy on me, God.
O, great passion-bearers, new martyrs of Russia, we fall down before you in love and, reverently kissing your wounds, we glorify your feats and pray: pray for our souls.
(Service to the New Martyrs and Confessors of Russia)
By Your great mercy and by the abundance of Your generosity, erase my iniquities. Wash me thoroughly many times from my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin.
For I recognize my iniquities, and my sin is ever before me. (3 times)
Against You, You alone have I sinned. And have done what is evil in Your sight. Therefore, You are righteous in Your judgment and pure in Your sentence.
Behold, I was conceived in iniquities, and in sin, my mother conceived me. Do not cast me away from Your face. And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me.
Return to me the joy of my salvation.
Strengthen me with a princely spirit. I will teach the lawless Your ways. And the ungodly will turn to You. Deliver me from blood.
Lord, open my lips. And my mouth will declare Your will.
Lord, have mercy on me, God. By Your great mercy, Lord.
(Psalm 50)
Angel of God! (3 times)
Lord. Amen!
18. My Soul
My soul, the mourner,
About everyone in my circle,
You’ve become a tomb
For those tortured alive.
Embalm their bodies,
Dedicating verses to them,
Mourn them
With a crying lyre.
In our skin-deep time,
For conscience and for fear,
You stand like a funeral urn
Holding their ashes.
Their collective torments
Have bowed you low.
You smell of the corpse dust.
Of the dead and graves.
(Boris Pasternak, “Soul,” 1957)
Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, have mercy on us. (3 times)
(The Trisagion)
Lord, have mercy. (5 times)
Holy God, Mighty, Immortal, have mercy on us.
O sky, sky, you will appear in my dreams!
It cannot be that you’ve gone completely blind.
(Osip Mandelstam, 1911)
Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia. Glory to You, God!
Lord.
With the saints, grant repose to the soul of Your servant. Where there is neither sickness, nor sorrow, nor sighing, but life everlasting.
(Kontakion, Tone 8)
Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, have mercy on us.
My soul, the mourner,
About everyone in my circle,
You’ve become a tomb
For those tortured alive.
Embalm their bodies,
Dedicating verses to them,
Mourn them
With a crying lyre.
Their collective torments
Have bowed you low.
You smell of the corpse dust.
Of the dead and graves.
(Boris Pasternak, “Soul,” 1957)
Lord, have mercy, Lord, have mercy.
Holy God, Mighty, Immortal, have mercy on us.
O sky, sky, you will appear in my dreams!
It cannot be that you’ve gone completely blind.
And the day burned like a white page:
A bit of smoke and a bit of ash!
(Osip Mandelstam, 1911)
God, my God, my refuge and my protection, on whom I rely, God.
God, cover me with your feathers. And under your wings, I will be safe.
God, my shield and my fortress.
God, my refuge and my protection, on whom I rely.
(Psalm 90)
My God. (5 times)
Amen, Amen, Amen. Lord God, make their memory eternal.
Eternal memory.
(Prayer for the Deceased)