War Requiem

The War Requiem is a requiem composed by Benjamin Britten for the reconsecration of Coventry Cathedral on May 30, 1962 following its destruction during World War II.

Related Topics:
Requiem - Benjamin Britten - Coventry Cathedral - May 30 - 1962 - World War II

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A mourning song for the victims of war, Britten's War Requiem is considered one of the great heartrending choral-orchestral works of the twentieth century. Britten was commissioned to write the piece for the consecration of a rebuilt cathedral in the English town of Coventry, after the original fourteenth-century structure had been destroyed in World War II bombing raids.

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A pacifist, Britten was inspired by the commission, which gave him complete freedom in choosing the type of music he'd like to compose. He conceived of setting the traditional Latin Mass for the Dead interwoven with nine poems about war by the English poet Wilfred Owen. Owen, who was born in 1893, was serving as the commander of a rifle company when he was killed in the trenches of France in November 1918, exactly one week before the Armistice. Although he was a virtually unknown poet at the time of his death, he has subsequently come to be revered as one of the great war poets.

Related Topics:
Pacifist - Wilfred Owen - 1893 - November 1918

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The War Requiem premiere took place on May 30, 1962, in the rebuilt cathedral and was a triumph, achieving an impact matched by few works in the twentieth century. A subsequent recording, released in 1963, quickly sold 200,000 copies, an unheard-of number for a piece of classical music at that time. Writing to his sister after the premiere, Britten said of his music, "I hope it'll make people think a bit." On the title page of the score he quoted Wilfred Owen: "My subject is War, and the pity of War / The Poetry is in the pity … / All a poet can do today is warn."

Related Topics:
May 30 - 1962

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The War Requiem was written for soprano, tenor and baritone soloists, choir, boys' choir, organ, and two orchestras (one full orchestra and one chamber orchestra). These musical forces are divided into three groups that alternate with each other throughout the piece. The soprano soloist and choir are accompanied by the full orchestra and the boys' choir is accompanied by the organ. Between them the soprano and choirs sing the traditional Latin requiem text. Interspersed throughout, the tenor and baritone sing poems by Wilfred Owen, accompanied by the chamber orchestra. The different combinations do not join together until the very end, when the tenor and baritone sing the final line of Owen's poem Strange Meeting ("Let us sleep now…") as the soprano and choirs finish the requiem.

Related Topics:
Soprano - Tenor - Baritone - Choir - Organ - Orchestra - Latin - Poems - Wilfred Owen - Strange Meeting

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Britten, who had been a staunch pacifist during the war, chose several poems by Owen, an English soldier and war poet who had been killed near the close of World War I, as a contrast with the Latin liturgy. The overall effect is sombre and Britten presents war as both devastating and futile.

Related Topics:
Soldier - War poet - World War I

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For the opening performance, it was intended that the soloists should be Galina Vishnevskaya (a Russian), Peter Pears (an Englishman) and Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau (a German), to demonstrate a spirit of unity. Unfortunately the USSR did not permit Vishnevskaya to travel to Coventry for the event and, at short notice, she was replaced by Heather Harper.

Related Topics:
Galina Vishnevskaya - Russian - Peter Pears - Englishman - Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau - German - USSR - Heather Harper

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A famous recording, featuring Vishnevskaya, Fischer-Dieskau and Pears, with the London Symphony Orchestra conducted by Britten, was produced in 1963. Another recording, featuring Elisabeth Söderström, Robert Tear and Thomas Allen, with the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra conducted by Sir Simon Rattle is available.

Related Topics:
London Symphony Orchestra - 1963 - Elisabeth Söderström - Robert Tear - Thomas Allen - City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra - Simon Rattle

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The Dutch premiere took place during the Holland Festival, in 1964. The Amsterdam Concertgebouw Orchestra and the Netherlands Radio Choir were conducted by Bernard Haitink; the chamber orchesta (consisting of Concertgebouw Orchestra instrumentalists) by Britten himself. The soloists were Vishnevskaya, Fischer-Dieskau and Pears, in their first public performance together.

Related Topics:
Holland Festival - 1964 - Amsterdam - Concertgebouw Orchestra - Netherlands Radio Choir - Bernard Haitink

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An interpretation of the work was performed by the English Chamber Choir at Your Country Needs You, an evening of "voices in opposition to war" organised by The Crass Collective in November 2002.

Related Topics:
English Chamber Choir - The Crass Collective - November 2002

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