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Britten's War Requiem
On May 30th 2012 live on The Space, experience the sombre majesty of Benjamin Britten’s War Requiem from Coventry Cathedral, on the 50th anniversary of its world premiere.
In November 1940 Coventry Cathedral was destroyed by Nazi bombers. Twenty-two years later a magnificent new cathedral designed by Basil Spence was opened on a site next to the ruins of the old cathedral.
Britten’s War Requiem was written for the new cathedral and mixes the text of the Latin Requiem Mass with poems by Wilfred Owen, who died in the First World War.
The City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra gave the world premiere in the cathedral and on Wednesday, under the baton of music director Andris Nelsons, they will perform this great work again on the 50th anniversary, to the day, of that premiere.
Pursuing the idea of international reconciliation, Britten conceived the work with three international soloists in mind and in this performance British tenor Mark Padmore, will be joined by German baritone Hanno Müller-Brachmann and Canadian soprano Erin Wall.