City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra & Chorus

30 May 1962 was a special day in the annals of the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra. The première of Benjamin Britten’s War Requiem symbolised peace and marked the consecration of Coventry Cathedral, which replaced the building destroyed by the Germans. But don’t expect a universal message of everlasting calm. Britten was both a pacifist and an atheist, and he uses Wilfred Owen’s war poetry to condemn the role of the church in times of war. 64 years after the première, conductor Kazuki Yamada has invited the baritone Christian Gerhaher, tenor Andrew Staples and soprano Irina Lungu to give voice to Britten’s message of insightful peace. The orchestra is joined by two choirs and an organ.