It’s been 25 years since the Montreal Massacre and the anniversary of the Dec. 6, 1989, tragedy was remembered in Ottawa last week with a new, concert-length choral work, Requiem for Fourteen Roses.
Created by Ottawa composer Elise Letourneau, the requiem was performed at Knox Presbyterian Church in Centretown to commemorate the lives of the 14 young women at École Polytechnique, who were killed that day by disturbed gunman Marc Lépine.
“Twenty-five years, in many ways it represents a generation, and a generation is long enough to forget,” says Letourneau. “Twenty-five years and we’re still dealing with the same things.”
Lépine shot 28 people that day – most of them women – before he killed himself. The mass murder triggered international discussions about violence against women, misogyny, mental-health issues and anti-feminism. It also sparked debates in Canada about gun control.
Though the requiem was designed to pay tribute to the 14 women who died, Letourneau said prior to the performance that the main message of the piece is one of healing and “honouring the good that is in us and each other.”
She added: “I know that the event, and its memorials, are often kind of politicized. Those conversations also need to happen, but I wanted this work to be more about healing.”
It was clear that Ottawa still remembers the tragic events of that day, as residents filled the church for the Saturday night performance.
The requiem began with a dark and ominous introduction, including three women walking slowly towards the stage, a chilling scene. As the piece progressed, the initial, haunting feeling transitioned to an uplifting and comforting melody that enveloped the church, leaving the presence of hope.
Requiem for Fourteen Roses featured an eight-piece chamber ensemble and two choirs: Vox Eclectica, a women’s chamber choir, and Capital Vox, Ottawa’s jazz choir. Rachel Beausoleil-Morrison, a member of Vox Eclectica, conducted the performance, while Letourneau played piano. CBC Ottawa television host Adrian Harewood introduced the requiem.
Beausoleil-Morrison described the composition as a combination of different languages, cultures and faiths.
“Elise has created this whole out of parts that are not normally together,” she said before the event. “It’s going along with the message she’s trying to create of ‘We’re all in this together, and we need to find a solution.’”
Each of the singers held a candle as they descended from the aisles to the stage. Children brought 14 roses to the front, one for each of the young women killed in 1989.
“It’s organized to move from dark to light,” said Letourneau. “At the end, we give the light back to the audience.”
Interspersed among the vocal works were 14 short instrumental pieces played by brass quartets, one for each of the victims who died. “Each one bears the title of one of those women,” said Letourneau.