War Requiem

[Mary Chambers]

That's not what she said,or implied.

Thank you, MrGG.

[Alison]

I'm sure Brittens work has moved hearts and minds over the years. I just thought tonights endorsement was a tribute to the power of the work in a way. Perhaps I should be more cynical.

[Beef Oven!]

That's not what she said,or implied.
I would find it strange if CE included music from Gorgoroths Black Mass, Krakow album

Well, that may not be what she said, but it is the implication of what she said. And you've just implied the same thing too!

[Beef Oven!]

I'm sure Brittens work has moved hearts and minds over the years. I just thought tonights endorsement was a tribute to the power of the work in a way.

That's my take on it too

[Petrushka]

Drat and double drat! I missed the 7.00 start time only to find matters well under way by 7.30 when I tuned in Not happy as I really wanted to catch this live.

I played the 1969 Giulini performance on BBC Legends instead.

[EdgeleyRob]

As much as I admire and love the War Requiem,I think Morning Heroes by Bliss deserves to be programmed once in a while.

[MrGongGong]

Well, that may not be what she said, but it is the implication of what she said. And you've just implied the same thing too!

Rubbish
I don't believe in god (or even GOD) but I know that Ligeti's Lux Aeterna is a work of genius (as are many of the works of Bach et al ........)

But it would be odd to book a Skrewdriver tribute band for the Labour Party conference
it's not just a nice noise to fill in the time between pints you know !

I once wrote a piece that included the Leiston BL band (Britten's local, I guess ?) BUT it didn't have anything to do with WW1 or even a mention of any conflict , just a piece of music about playing brass instruments. I also made a piece with a group of students from an Islamic school for girls BUT that wasn't about Islam or Jesus ! Context my friend , context

[Mary Chambers]

Well, that may not be what she said, but it is the implication of what she said.

'She' explained what she meant in message #8. My original post was made in haste, and may have been unclear.

Good performance on the whole, anyway, especially Allan Clayton. Enthusiastic reception, too.

[Beef Oven!]

'She' explained what she meant in message #8. My original post was made in haste, and may have been unclear.

Good performance on the whole, anyway, especially Allan Clayton. Enthusiastic reception, too.

Please accept my apology for the use of 'she,' in your presence.

[JimD]

I was surprised that an organisation that has the current motto "Shoulder to shoulder with those who serve" would perform the work of a conscientious objector. I wondered if perhaps they don't know that this is a pacifist piece as well as a memorial. I'm not suggesting they wouldn't prefer peace, and that they haven't done useful work in the past, but nevertheless I associate them with parades and uniforms, and similarly un-Brittenish things. The armed forces they support at the moment aren't conscripted. They are choosing those careers.

This may be a bit confused, but somehow I find the event jarring.

I notice that they haven't got a German baritone.

The involvement of the British Legion in this event may indeed 'jar' sensibilities, but that is hardly an argument: I will venture a response, focusing on the immediate circumstances preceding the War Requiem. Britten, a pacifist, returned to the UK, a nation dominated by war, fighting for its life, and perhaps that of Europe. I imagine he knew the likely reception. He was, I understand, given the status of conscientious objector. Both of these aspects of the situation speak to me of something, however flawed, resembling acceptance even in the face of the direst existential threat of the possibility of others taking a different view to one's own, and in contrast, I might add, to the situation prevailing in Nazi-dominated Europe. It is no doubt simplistic and over-sentimentalized to say something like: that is what the UK was fighting about. Some soldiers must have returned from war having espoused a version of pacifism, after what they had experienced. Some of these may even have worked for the BL, and benefited from its work. Does it 'jar' that the pacifism implicit in the Requiem should be retained by Britten, despite, for example, knowing of the horrors of the concentration camps? I suspect the text is one which many of those who fought, seeing no alternative, could respond to and sympathize with. Is it unacceptable that the BL should acknowledge the possibility and existence of conscientiously-held pacifism, and its being given powerful voice through a great work of art. Finally, I don't hear the motto cited by Mary as being so obviously militaristic as she seems to imply.

[Beef Oven!]

Rubbish
I don't believe in god (or even GOD) but I know that Ligeti's Lux Aeterna is a work of genius (as are many of the works of Bach et al ........)

But it would be odd to book a Skrewdriver tribute band for the Labour Party conference
it's not just a nice noise to fill in the time between pints you know !

I once wrote a piece that included the Leiston BL band (Britten's local, I guess ?) BUT it didn't have anything to do with WW1 or even a mention of any conflict , just a piece of music about playing brass instruments. I also made a piece with a group of students from an Islamic school for girls BUT that wasn't about Islam or Jesus ! Context my friend , context

Calm down please.

I am fully understanding of the points that you make and do not require the silly analogies, but the implication was made, by both of you.

[Petrushka]

I strongly doubt if anyone at the BBC or the Royal British Legion gave the slightest thought to the possibility of jarred sensibilities in connection with this event.

[Petrushka]

Anyway, has anybody actually got anything interesting to say on the performance, singers, conductor???

[Alison]

Anyway, has anybody actually got anything interesting to say on the performance, singers, conductor???

I missed the beginning so will catch up later in the week. I suppose I could have gone having been in London for the day.

Very thoughtful post from Jim.

[Petrushka]

I suppose I could have gone having been in London for the day.

This thought did strike me when you mentioned it on the Sunday night chat thread. An ideal day today for me would have been to see the parade at the Cenotaph, done some Christmas shopping and then gone to the RAH. I did pretty much this back in 2007.