War Requiem

[kenjari]

I went to see the Yale Philharmonia and Choruses performance of Britten's War Requiem last night, along with karakara98. sen_no_ongaku, and sigerson, preceded by a nice dinner at Betty's.
I had never heard the War Requiem before, and I'm not terribly familiar with Britten's music, so it was a little like going to a premier. It's an amazing piece, one I truly regret not having heard before now. Britten did a terrific job of juxtaposing the Latin requiem with selections from Wilfrid Owen's WWI poetry to make a text that was beautiful, emotionally powerful, and a strong critique of war and its cost. The music is incredible. The ways in which the different vocal textures (chorus, children's chorus, and solists) are combined and contrasted is masterful, and perfectly fit the texts. The orchestra swings back and forth between the lushly ethereal material and the sardonically militaristic. I really need a recording of this work so that I can get to know it better.

Comments

[holmes-iv.livejournal.com]

I'm glad you could make it—I'm now thoroughly wiped out, having done that rather taxing piece (physically and emotionally) twice in two days, but wow, what an experience.

[pantsie.livejournal.com]

Now I'm really curious about this requiem! I've sung some art songs and some choral works of his, but nothing on this level.

[digitalemur.livejournal.com]

So, about one stanza of oratorio before it becomes clear the baritone is in the role of a German, I realized that the baritone actually was in fact a German citizen. And then it blew my mind. We don't know if it was deliberate in THIS performance, but holmes_iv noted that the premier had intended to use a German baritone, and English tenor, and a Russian soprano, quite deliberately.

We were not in one of the best spots in the hall for the Saturday performance, so some of the sound was muffled, but it was still amazing.

[jenaflynn.livejournal.com]

Sorry that we missed you there. We were there, and looked around, but didn't see you. But aside from that, we had a great time. I especially loved the Tenor, he was just amazing. :)

[kenjari.livejournal.com]

I'm sorry we missed you, too. I'm glad you enjoyed the piece, though.