"... They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:
     Age shall not weary them, nor the years contemn.
     At the going down of the sun and in the morning
     We will remember them."        For the Fallen, Laurence Binyon

Today, 2018-11-11, is the centenary of the end of World War I.

Benjamin Britten composed his War Requiem in 1962 for the consecration of the new Coventry Cathedral after the original was destroyed in World War II.

War Requiem draws on the traditional Latin mass for the Dead and includes nine poems by the famous World War I poet, Wilfred Owen. Owen himself was killed in action on 1918-11-04, just a few days before the end of the war.  This is a link to the full text of  the work.

Here are two recordings of War Requiem for you to consider:

Britten himself conducted the London Symphony Orchestra and Chorus for the first recording of War Requiem for Decca in 1963.  The recording also featured Galina Vishnevskaya, Peter Pears, Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, the Bach Choir and the Melos Ensemble.  This is recordings sold over 200,000 copies within six months of its release, making it the fastest selling classical recording up to that time.

Richard Hickox conducts the London Symphony Chorus and Orchestra in one of the finest recordings of War Requiem.  Also on this recording are Heather Harper, Philip Langridge, Martyn Hill,  John Shirley-Quirk and the St Paul’s Cathedral Choir.

"Requiem: The Pity of War," is an album released by English tenor, Ian Bostridge, accompanied by Sir Antonio Pappano, to mark the centenary.

It features works in English and German by Kurt Weil, Gustav Mahler, George Butterworth and Rudi Stephan.

Perhaps these albums can provide a backdrop for reflection on the centenary of the Armistice which concluded "the war to end all wars", and humanity's unfortunate continuation of bloody conflict.

© Wayne Butcher