War Requiem Song Cycle

[Mary Chambers]

A 'song cycle' consisting of the tenor/baritone songs from Britten's War Requiem will receive its first performance at the Waterloo Festival in London tomorrow, with Adrian Thompson and the young German baritone Benjamin Appl. I find this rather a strange idea - surely much of the point will be lost if the songs are separated from the Requiem Mass. I suppose they must have got permission to do it. If anyone goes to the performance, I'd be very interested to hear opinions.

[VodkaDilc]

I agree that it sounds a strange idea. Who would need to give permission? The Britten Estate, I suppose, but who does that actually entail?

[VodkaDilc]

I agree that it sounds a strange idea. Who would need to give permission? The Britten Estate, I suppose, but who does that actually entail?

I think i've found the answer:

http://www.brittenpears.org/page.php?pageid=386

[Mary Chambers]

I get confused about the roles of the Britten Estate, the Britten-Pears Foundation and Boosey and Hawkes in this kind of thing.

[BBMmk2]

I don't see the point in separating the songs from Britten's great and wonderful masterpiece. they are part and parcel and should not have a life of their own, imo.

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

I don't see the point in separating the songs from Britten's great and wonderful masterpiece. they are part and parcel and should not have a life of their own, imo.

I agree. But then I feel much the same about the Four Sea Interludes and (even more so) the Dances from Gloriana.

[BBMmk2]

I agree. But then I feel much the same about the Four Sea Interludes and (even more so) the Dances from Gloriana.

Well we could go one extending this to other works, but in this instants, I think it is superfluous.

[Mary Chambers]

I agree. But then I feel much the same about the Four Sea Interludes and (even more so) the Dances from Gloriana.

Those were at least sanctioned by Britten himself, but I feel extracting parts of War Requiem is in any case a different problem. How does one do the final duet without the boys' In Paradisum? Or the Abraham and Isaac story without the Hostias? Not a good idea, though I suppose I shouldn't judge something I haven't heard.

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

Well we could go one extending this to other works, but in this instants, I think it is superfluous.

I agree. But then I feel much the same about the Four Sea Interludes and (even more so) the Dances from Gloriana.

[bluestateprommer]

Here's the page with programming from the Waterloo Festival:

http://stjohnswaterloo.org/waterloo-festival/

The first concert at St. John's Church with "the complete War Requiem (abridged)" gives this information:

"Thursday 26 June - 7.30 pm
Opening Concert
The Pity of War – War Requiem Song Cycle.
Southbank Sinfonia

David Corkhill conductor
Adrian Thompson tenor
Benjamin Appl baritone

Shostakovich Chamber Symphony
Shostakovich's Chamber Symphony is a powerful work dedicated to the victims of fascism and war.

Britten War Requiem Song Cycle
A world first: Britten’s powerful settings of poems by Wilfred Owen in the War Requiem are here performed for the first time as a cycle in their own right."

While I can certainly understand the purist sentiment against detaching the Wilfred Owen settings from the whole work, I can think of the simple pragmatic reason that it's easier to present those settings as a singular work, for groups whose budget does not extend to the complete War Requiem. This isn't to justify it, but simply to suggest a 'real-world' reason as to why. In any case, I can think of a lot worse ideas to present.