The twentieth concert "For those who did not return from the sea..." Requiem at the Central Cemetery

Dusk had already fallen over Szczecin when the sounds of Giuseppe Verdi's "Messa da Requiem" resounded at the Central Cemetery. The moonlight, the spotlights and the illuminations on the treetops around the fountain created an atmosphere that cannot be recreated anywhere else.

On Friday, June 6, over 150 artists appeared on the stage, traditionally set up by the fountain – musicians and choristers from the Opera at the Castle, the Singakademie choir from Frankfurt (Oder) and four soloists. In front of them, in front of the stage, the audience sat – around 1,500 people. The concert “To those who did not return from the sea…” is already a Szczecin tradition, but it is still an exceptional event.

– This evening is a special evening – said Jacek Jekiel, director of the Opera at the Castle, before the concert. – We want to pay tribute to those who have tied their lives to the sea and for the sea. People who sail out every day, trusting that they will return. The sea can be beautiful and calm, but it can also strike with full force. It is an element that cannot be predicted or tamed. And yet there are those who face it every day – fishermen, sailors, captains, people from ports and ships. This is their story – not easy, dangerous, but full of strength and courage. Today, through music, we want to thank them for that.

There are many familiar faces among the audience – people who come here every year. Young, old, families, some in naval uniforms. This concert is not just a cultural event. It is a kind of meeting that reminds us every year that memory does not need big words. Music, night and presence are enough.©℗

(dg)