Dayton Philharmonic - Brittens War Requiem
Join DPO for Britten's War Requiem, Britten's musical memorial to the ultimate futility of war to several of his friends, who died during or because of World War II.
Event details
* this page may be updated if event is repeated in the future *
Dayton Philharmonic - Brittens War Requiem
Join DPO for Britten's War Requiem, Britten's musical memorial to the ultimate futility of war to several of his friends, who died during or because of World War II.
Take Note pre-performance talk: Paul Lockhart 7pm Friday & Saturday
On November 14, 1940, the German Luftwaffe bombed the city of Coventry, England, hitting the 14th-century Coventry Cathedral with incendiary bombs and virtually destroying it. The very next morning, those in charge decided to rebuild the cathedral, not to defy the enemy, “…but rather (as) a sign of faith, trust, and hope for the future of the world.”
In 1962 English composer Benjamin Britten, a pacifist, had been given carte blanche to compose a work to commemorate the rebuilt cathedral’s consecration. Using the traditional Latin Mass for the Dead, Britten interspersed nine poems about war by English poet Wilfred Owen, who was killed in World War One a scant week before the signing of the Armistice. Britten scored the work for soprano, tenor and baritone soloists, a chorus, a boys' choir, organ, a full orchestra, and a chamber orchestra.
The influence of other composers’ Requiems on Britten’s work is evident; he himself cited Giuseppe Verdi as one of his many sources of inspiration.
Britten dedicated his musical memorial to the ultimate futility of war to several of his friends, who died during or because of World War II. His friends Roger Burney and Michael Halliday died in the war. Ironically, another close friend—Piers Dunkerley—who had taken part in the D-Day landings and had survived the war, committed suicide in 1959, a few months before he was to be married.
BRITTEN War Requiem a collaborative project with CELIA, an Ohio Center of Excellence at Wright State University
CELIA, the Ohio Center of Excellence for Collaborative Education, Leadership and Innovation in the Arts, creates unique and innovative collaborations in the arts, humanities, and social sciences resulting in transformative programs and projects at Wright State University, the region, throughout Ohio, and beyond.
Links & Tags
The Schuster Center
Dayton Performing Arts Alliance.
Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra.
