Sounds from God– Music embedded in the human psyche of Boris Pigovat

This thesis examines the life and music of Israeli composer Boris Pigovat with emphasis on the works he has composed that feature the viola. It presents the first detailed account of his life from childhood to being an internationally respected composer. His landmark work from 1995, the Holocaust Requiem, stands amongst the most significant works of all time for viola and orchestra. While the research includes details of Pigovat’s education and career, it also examines in depth the background and analytical aspects of the Holocaust Requiem and the Sonata for viola and piano, and includes video recordings by the researcher of all his works featuring the viola.

The central component of this study is the production of the film Lacrimosa Dies Illa, a documentary about the Holocaust Requiem that includes interviews with the composer, commentary by a colleague in Kyiv at the site of the Babi Yar massacre of 1941 (at which the composers grandparents and aunt were executed), and performances of excerpts of the Holocaust Requiem with the researcher as soloist with the New Zealand School of Music Orchestra, conducted by Martin Riseley.