In 1962, for the consecration of the newly built Coventry Cathedral, erected after the wartime bombing of its predecessor, Benjamin Britten, the foremost English composer of the 20th century, wrote the monumental vocal-instrumental work that soon came to be regarded throughout the musical world as a memorial to the victims of war and a manifesto of pacifism. The work’s sublime and deeply dramatic design is founded on the juxtaposition of the texts of the Latin Requiem Mass with the English-language poetry of Wilfred Owen, the soldier-poet killed in action during the First World War. The exceptionally large performing forces – symphony and chamber orchestras, mixed and boys' choirs, three vocal soloists and organ – are divided into three groups that perform successive sections in turn before coming together in the work’s finale. This arrangement seems significant in itself: it becomes the voice of all humanity, united in its plea for peace.

The composer’s plans for the premiere of the work also envisaged that the solo parts would be performed by artists of different nationalities representing the opposing sides of the conflict. It is therefore worth noting that the Warsaw presentation of this major undertaking – the performance of War Requiem – will fulfil this intention: under the baton of the distinguished Swiss conductor Charles Dutoit, the Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra and Choir and the Artos Children's Choir will perform with renowned soloists from Poland, the United Kingdom and Germany.

Robert Losiak