Benjamin Britten’s War Requiem, Op. 66, is a full-on choral and orchestral composition finished in 1962 with shades of Philip Glass chords and dissonance. Originally performed for the rebuilt Coventry Cathedral that had been destroyed in World War II, the piece is scored for a double orchestra, two choirs, organ and just about everything else. For example, there were eight percussionists. It was going to produce a wall of sound.
Along with the traditional Latin text, the anguished poems of Wilfred Owen, written during World War I, offered a dramatic and dark mood about the futility of war and the loss of human lives. Owen’s poems were banned during the conflict as they were anti-war and clearly revealed the reality of the horror and futility of those in the trenches. Sadly, he died at 25 years old in battle a week before the Armistice.
Brett Weimar skilfully conducted the Sydney Philharmonia Festival chorus, Sydney Youth Orchestra and Conservatorium High School choristers. The orchestra was magnificent with brass sounding out as the bray of battle along with clashes of cymbals, drums and gongs as the string players struck chords that represented the tragedy of what was happening.
The choir, all 300 of them rose to the occasion quietly chanting at the start and producing almost a howl as the battle raged. The children’s choir stood at the back of the concert hall and sang like a choir of angels as if welcoming the dying soldiers. The final piece culminated in the soloists joining to ‘let me sleep in peace’ almost imploring the audience to do so. Then the conductor stood in silence for three minutes as if at the last post.
The soloists, tenor Kyle Stegall, and baritone Jeremy Kleeman, offered Owen’s poems. Stegall’s beautiful lyrical voice soared as he sang about the soldiers’ fears and observations of the horror of war such as, ‘What passing bells for these who die as cattle?’. Kleeman’s clear baritone beseeched the audience to realise, ‘I am the enemy you killed, my friend’. The only disappointment was with such a strong orchestral sound, Owen’s poignant words were often lost in the wall of sound.
Soprano, Eva Kong, strangely placed behind the orchestra at the back with the chorus, sang like an angel, interpreting the Latin mass text valiantly and beautifully. It may have been easier for her and the audience if she were with the other soloists at the front.
It isn’t an easy piece as there are no memorable melodies. As we approach Remembrance Day, it is a reminder not to celebrate war but to honour those forced to participate. It was a memorable concert for all and the audience responded with resounding applause. We were left remembering the final chant of, ‘Let Me Sleep in Peace.’
To book tickets to Britten’s War Requiem, please visit https://www.sydneyphilharmonia.com.au/events/brittens-war-requiem/.