Britten's War Requiem

Britten The horrors of both world wars were unprecedented. Even now we live in a time full of the sound of weapons. In 1962, composer Benjamin Britten completed a moving requiem for all war victims, then and now. His timeless War Requiem touches heart and soul. As a convinced pacifist, Britten came up with an imposing work for three vocal soloists, choirs, organ and large orchestra. The occasion for his requiem was the resurrected cathedral of Coventry which had been so heavily damaged during the Second World War. As the basis for his War Requiem, Britten chose the Latin requiem mass. But his requiem gains its wings especially through the brilliant poetry of poet and soldier Wilfred Owen. In his poems, Owen tells of the devastating trench warfare during the First World War. Philzuid joins forces with the choirs Groot Omroepkoor, Studium Chorale and Schola Puerorum to perform Britten's masterpiece.