War Requiem

I recently had the opportunity to view Benjamin Britten’s War Requiem on DVD. The first London performance of the War Requiem was on 6 Dec 1962, in Westminster Abbey. The performance on DVD was held at Tanglewood in 1963 and was captured by a new TV station WGBH of Boston where I now live. This piece was composed for the opening of the new Saint Michael’s Cathedral in Coventry, UK where I was living at the time.

Although I was quite young at the time, I instantly took to the new cathedral although many did not, particularly older folks as it was anything but traditional. I use to visit the cathedral many times and I was always touched by the many items in the cathedral donated by countries from all around the world. As I look at the pictures again, I am not surprised to see how modern the cathedral still seems today. Maybe I should visit it in 2013 for its 50th anniversary!

I am not an opera fan but as I watched the performance I could not help but see in my minds eye the terrible destruction of London at that time as well as the bombed out site of St. Michael’s. And then, perhaps because the text combines the words of the Latin Mass for the Dead with Wildred Owen’s poems from the First World War, I thought about the terrible destruction that occurred in the “War to End All Wars” and then my mind moved to Iraq where terrible damaged has been done in the name of I don’t know what. But there is no doubt in my mind that wars are a total waste of lives and resources. They are the scourge of mankind and yet we repeat them again and again.

There was a huge orchestra (or so it seems to me) for the performance, along with a choir, two conductors, a soprano, a tenor and a baritone. In the orchestra were many legendary players. All was kept in order by the eloquent Boston Symphony Orchestra director Erich Leinsdorf. The last 25 minutes of the concert is likely to bring you to tears as I believe was the intent. For Britten, through his music and choice of poem – Strange Meeting, pleads for peace; for liberation. Something I think we would have agreed with then and now. If you are interested in the DVD it is Video Artists International 4429 or go to their catalogue www.vaimusic.com.