Driven by memories of the horrors of the First World War, Benjamin Britten created his War Reqiuem as a musical monument to peace. In these present times shaken by reports of war, this is especially moving to us. The work begins in darkness and rapidly rises to immense turmoil in a way that makes it hard for us to believe the words sung by the choir: “Requiem aeternam” – eternal rest. This is far more than a commonplace requiem mass since Britten complemented the Latin liturgy with emotional texts by the English poet Wilfred Owen, who was killed in the First World War. The gigantic orchestration, which unites several choirs, a large orchestra and solo singing, achieves both powerful and fragile sounds. This protest for peace is sometimes resounding, sometimes no more than a whisper, but always urgent. It emerged from Benjamin Britten’s most profound inner life, and it may be able to release energy reserves to resist hatred and violence in us, too.

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