The 11th annual Hawai'i International Choral Festival sponsored by the O'ahu Choral Society culminated this weekend in a gala performance of Faure's and Durufle's Requiems.

A requiem may seem like an unusual choice for a festival. It is, after all, meant to honor the dead and is generally a setting of the Christian Mass for the dead, which lends the work its title, "Requiem aeternam dona eis Domine" (Grant them eternal rest, o Lord). Some might consider the topic a bit dark.

But all of us struggle to come to terms with death, and requiems include some of the greatest works in the choral repertoire. Also, because requiems require such large forces, festivals offer the perfect performance opportunity.

When asked after the concert why she programmed two requiems, guest conductor Karen Kennedy responded, "The original conception was that we wanted to do the Durufle Requiem. I first heard it paired with the Faure, and I wanted you to hear it that way, too."

It is a pairing that underscores the musical relationship: Durufle was strongly influenced by Faure, and in many ways, modeled his Requiem on Faure's example. In fact, the two works are remarkably unlike other requiems and remarkably similar to each other. Hearing them together is like hearing two sides of a coin.

Addressing whether the combination might be too much of a good thing, Kennedy quipped, "This evening isn't just green beans. It's green beans — and then green beans with sauce."

Kennedy may have been referring to the music, but the Choral Festival added much sauce of its own, including stage decor and hula by the Na Leo Kuho'okahi ensemble of the Hawai'i Youth Opera Chorus.

Interpreting Western classical music through hula has been tried before, but it presents multiple challenges, not least of which are different ways of using meter/rhythm and conflicting patterns of repetition.

Impressively, choreographer Lauren Chang found a congenial intersection between the two genres, creating a performance that remained true to hula while enhancing the music.

Motions interpreted the text — especially welcome in the absence of supertitles to translate the Latin text — and reflected the musical structure. The dancers danced in fugue during fugal passages, extended movements to match phrasing, and punctuated climaxes and cadences, ending prostrate, robed for paradise and laid to peaceful rest.

In addition to a large floral arrangement in the middle, each side of the stage held spare arrangements with tall flower spikes of the agave americana (century plant). During the Offertory, dancers draped lei over its bare branches, echoing the tradition of offering lei at funerals.

This was by far the most successful blending of these two genres that I have seen, and the effect transcended the boundaries of each. One can only hope the performance will be recorded.

Faure and Durufle eschewed the wrenching terror of the "Dies Irae" (Day of Wrath) that was so much a part of earlier requiems. Instead, they focused on a sombre but tranquil acceptance of death. Theirs is a peaceful vision, laced with graceful melodies and delicate harmonies, that can be very comforting, even cathartic.

For the festival, the Honolulu Symphony Chorus was expanded to include singers from Australia, Japan and throughout the Hawaiian islands, as well as the University of Hawai'i at Manoa's Chamber Singers, under UHM's new Director of Choral Activities, Rachel Samet.

Well rehearsed by Interim Director Nola Nahulu and skillfully conducted by Kennedy, the chorus sang well, softly subdued in quiet passages yet rising to thunder in Durufle's climaxes. There were many exquisite moments, such as the "Amen" at the end of Faure's Offertory.

Soloists — vocal and instrumental — added delightful touches throughout: baritone Burr Cochran Phillips in four major solos; a lovely contrast between soprano Vicki Gorman in Faure's "Pie Jesu" (Blessed Jesus) and mezzo-soprano Leneida Crawford in Durufle's "Pie Jesu"; and a cameo solo by tenor James Price in the first movement of the Faure.