Britten Thematic Catalogue

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BTC1106 WAR REQUIEM

For soprano, tenor and baritone solos, chorus, orchestra, chamber orchestra, boys' choir and organ, op. 66
Period of composition: ca. Apr 1961 - Jan 1962
First performance: 30 May 1962 >>
Type of performance: Church performance
Location: At the festival to celebrate the consecration of St Michael's Cathedral, Coventry
Performance details:

Heather Harper sop, Peter Pears ten, Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau bar, Coventry Festival Chorus, boys of Holy Trinity, Leamington, and Holy Trinity, Stratford, CBSO, Meredith Davies cond, Melos Ensemble, Benjamin Britten cond

Genre: Choral
With orchestra
Text: The Missa pro Defunctis (set in Latin) and poems by Wilfred Owen
Performing forces:

Orchestra: 3 fl (III=picc), 2 ob, ca, 3 cl in A and B flat (III=cl in E flat and bass cl), 2 bn, dbn - 6 hn, 4 tpt in C, 3 trbn, tuba - timp, 4 perc (2 sd, td, bd, tamb, trgl, cymb, castanets, whip, Chinese blocks, gong, bells in C and F sharp, vibr, glock, antique cymbals in C and F sharp) - pf, grand org (ad lib.) - str

Chamber orchestra: fl (=picc), ob (=ca), cl in A and B flat, bn - hn - perc (timp, sd, bd, cymb, gong) - harp - string quintet (2 vn, va, vc, db)

Chamber organ (or harmonium) to accompany boys' choir

Duration: 85'
Commissioned:

By Coventry Cathedral

The commission was issued in October 1958, but the details were not finalized until November 1960.

Dedication: 'In loving memory of Roger Burney, Sub-Lieutenant R.N.V.R., Piers Dunkerley, Captain Royal Marines, David Gill, Ordinary Seaman, Royal Navy, Michael Halliday, Lieutenant R.N.Z.N.V.R.'

Movements

All content copyright (C) Britten-Pears Foundation 2012 unless stated. Please note all BTC numbers are provisional at this stage.