The War Requiem was commissioned for the consecration of the new Coventry Cathedral, which was built after the original Gothic cathedral was destroyed in a German air raid in 1940.
Composition History
Britten had previously considered similar works, including an oratorio for Hiroshima victims and a requiem for Mahatma Gandhi, but neither came to fruition before the Coventry commission.
Compositional Technique
The War Requiem uniquely combines the traditional Latin Mass for the Dead with poems by Wilfred Owen, an English poet killed in World War I, to reflect both mourning and a condemnation of military violence.
Compositional Technique
These three musical levels in the War Requiem remain largely separate until the very end, creating a tension between the formal liturgy and the subjective, war-torn poetry.
Performer Biography
Mariss Jansons, the conductor, was awarded the prestigious Ernst von Siemens Music Prize in June 2013 for his life's work as a conductor.
Compositional Technique
The work features three distinct musical 'levels': Latin Mass texts for soprano, mixed choir, and full orchestra; Wilfred Owen's poems for tenor, baritone, and chamber ensemble; and boys' voices with organ for a celestial sound.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Benjamin Britten, the composer, was a lifelong pacifist who refused military service in World War II and was deeply affected by violence from childhood.
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