A Study of Britten's War Requiem
The first performance was not the quality one would have wished for due to the curious acoustic of Coventry Cathedral, but I remember the composer saying afterwards the idea was good. (MEREDITH DAVIES) Benjamin Britten's War Requiem was hailed as a masterpiece after its first performance in 1962. Many performances followed but adverse critical reaction soon set in. Recently the work has regained its status.
Michael Kennedy considers the reasons for the work's chequered history with Sir Peter Pears , Peter Evans Galina Vishnevskaya ,
Heather Harper , Robert Tear Donald Mitchell , Michael Berkeley , Simon Rattle and Meredith Davies. Producer JOHN BOUNDY
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(Britten's War Requiem: next Sunday from the Royal Festival Hall, London)