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The main point was hearing a word of comfort. A word of hope. A word of support. To regain strength for the tribulations from the Lord yet to come. To be able to bear new deprivations. Or even to escape a certain death.
How many prayers were not heard? How many were not answered? At least not at the time when they needed the Lord's help the most. Where the prayer was forced to take refuge in the hope that he could come out of this hell on earth by himself. They had to survive for the sake of their parents, brothers and sisters, children and grandchildren. They wanted to survive to proclaim the truth to the world. The truth of horror and injustice. They would survive to proclaim the power of faith and the divine power all over the world. The power of God over darkness.
Dies Irae
‘Dies irae, dies illa’ (‘Day of wrath, day of reckoning’).
These mere words imply what is going to happen in this section. The ‘Dies Irae’ has not been used as a death sequence in liturgy regulations for quite some time. In the past these lyrics were often split into different parts. Since I intended to interpret it as an accusation and aversion against their tormentors, I decided to use it in full.
The first four words of the opening - sung by the choir and accompanied by brass and kettledrum roll - already reflect both the rage and aversion of the victims and the wrath of the Lord. Then the soprano, tenor and choir wrap up the first accusation.
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