David Önaç, a composer based in Manchester, has created a requiem to honor enslaved Africans, utilizing historical insurance documents linked to the transatlantic slave trade. The premiere of Atlantic Requiem will take place on Sunday at LSO St Luke’s in London, performed by the London Symphony Orchestra and BBC Singers.
Background
The project was commissioned by Culture&, an arts and heritage charity, and stems from research into Lloyd’s of London, which historically insured ships involved in the trafficking of enslaved Africans. The 40-minute, five-movement work combines elements of Catholic liturgy, historic insurance documents, and testimonies related to the killing of an enslaved woman aboard a ship in 1790.
Musical Composition
Önaç's composition merges contemporary classical music with jazz, gospel, and other traditions from both sides of the Atlantic. The performances, coinciding with Black History Month, will be conducted by Malcolm J Merriweather, a Grammy award-winning conductor.
Artistic Vision
Dr. Errol Francis, the artistic director of Culture&, highlighted the contradictions in using religious language in documents that treated humans as cargo. He stated:
“"This is a really complicated situation in how religion is being used. Religion was used to convert the indigenous people then, the indigenous people often took up religion as part of emancipation."
