Review | Hong Kong Arts Festival’s multimedia choral concert Garden of Repose reimagines works by Brahms, Arvo Pärt, Poulenc and Antonia Lotti

From the mixtape to the playlist, curating disparate music around a central theme has become something almost anyone with basic technology can do at home. So where does that leave the music professionals, particularly ones with fresh ideas who truly want to raise the programmatic bar?

One can certainly imagine “Garden of Repose” – before it became an actual garden – starting out with the working title “Requiem Playlist”, but the multimedia choral concert commissioned and produced by the Hong Kong Arts Festival has evolved into something entirely different.

The 70-minute immersive experience at the West Kowloon Cultural District’s Freespace is equal parts musical performance, physical theatre piece and visual installation. It curates not only a diverse set of music following the arc of the Catholic funeral mass but also a thoughtful narrative illuminating the grieving process in a space that literally opens doors – and walls – to contemplation.

Central to the experience is the 16-member Hong Kong vocal ensemble Noema, led by their founding conductor, Sanders Lau.

Although members sometimes mimic a traditional church choir – with some even holding music folders as props – their placement and pacing unfold within carefully constructed staging.