Britten's War Requiem

The horrors of both world wars were unprecedented. Even now, we live in a time of the clatter of weapons. In 1962, composer Benjamin Britten completed a moving Requiem Mass for all war victims, then and now. His timeless War Requiem touches heart and soul. As a convinced pacifist, Britten presented an imposing work for three vocal soloists, choirs, organ, and large orchestra. The inspiration for his requiem was the resurrected Coventry Cathedral, which had been so severely damaged during the Second World War. Britten chose the Latin Mass for the Dead as the basis for his War Requiem. But his requiem truly takes flight thanks to the brilliant poetry of poet and soldier Wilfred Owen. In his poems, Owen recounts the devastating trench warfare of the First World War. Philzuid joins forces with the choirs Groot Omroepkoor, Studium Chorale, and Schola Puerorum to perform Britten's masterpiece.