Requiem for My Mother (2017) Online

Requiem for My Mother (2017) Online

"Requiem For My Mother" is the story of film composer Stephen Edwards' journey of the loss of his mother and main musical influence Rosalie Edwards. As she is suffering and dying from ovarian cancer, Stephen undertakes the most challenging commission of his life. Immediately he channels all of his anger, passion, sadness, loss and hope for the future into a new major choral work that he gets invited to present in Vatican City at a noted music festival there. That's where the challenge begins.

The 170 singers featured in the film came from all over the US and paid their own way to Rome - the first time they sang together was in Rome 3 days before the concert event.

Conductor Candace Wicke had worked with composer Stephen Edwards in several previous concerts - including 2 at Carnegie Hall and subsequently went to Rome 2 more times, including a reprise of the "Requiem" in the Sistine Chapel in 2013 - Edwards was the first American composer ever to perform there - and Wicke the first American ever to conduct there.

There is an entirely different cut of the movie that was completed in 2013 and never shown.

Editor Greg Hunter had never cut a long-form film until "Requiem for My Mother" was made.

"Requiem for My Mother" won 2 Audience awards - Woods Hole Festival in 2016 and CATE Festival in 2017 - and was featured at AmDOCS in 2017 as well. When it premiered on PBS stations on Mother's Day 2017 it was shown in over 80% of the US.

The complete Requiem is 12 movements - over 45 minutes long, features 3 soloists (Soprano, Tenor and Baritone), 60 children, 125 adults (sopranos, altos, tenors and basses) and 50 orchestra - and the orchestral/choral score is over 100 pages long.

The CD for "Requiem for My Mother" was on the Billboard Classical charts for over 10 weeks in 2017 - peaking at #3.

Edwards is the first composer in Hollywood history to write a Requiem for his mother and make a film about it. His duties included composer, co-director, and co-producer.

The Prague orchestra flew to Rome and stayed in Hotels for the event - a separate moving truck had to be hired to move harp, tympani, double basses, music stands and other equipment on the 1300 kilometer journey.

Choral groups have started performing the Requiem on their own - including groups in Maine and California - and more performances are planned.