Britten's War Requiem

You can hear Britten’s War Requiem as a lament. You can hear it as a fierce call for peace. Hope and consolation rub shoulders with violence and despair as Britten weaves traditional Requiem texts with Wilfred Owen’s war poetry. The music veers between intimacy, even tenderness, and an almost brutal magnificence with more than a hint of Verdi. The War Requiem emerged from a world that was rebuilding after the trauma of World War II. Today’s world is still torn by conflict and cruelty. It’s easy to feel powerless, to feel numb in the face of suffering. But Britten has given us music to make us think and help us heal.