War Requiem
Apr. 28th, 2007 05:55 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
kenjariI went to see the Yale Philharmonia and Choruses performance of Britten's War Requiem last night, along with ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
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.
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.
