Britten War Requiem 30th May 2012

[DracoM]

Britten War Requiem
Live from Coventry Cathedral


As with the first performance, this fiftieth anniversary performance features soloists from different European countries.

Erin Wall [soprano]
Mark Padmore (tenor)
Hanno Müller-Brachmann (baritone)
City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra
City of Birmingham Symphony Chorus
City of Birmingham Symphony Youth Chorus

Andris Nelsons (conductor)

[weston752]

'As with the first performance, this fiftieth anniversary performance features soloists from different European countries.'

According to her own website, Erin Wall was born and raised in Canada, and lives in Toronto with her husband and son.

[DracoM]

Mea culpa - I just copy trustingly from the BBC website, gullible fool that I am.
So fantastic research by BBC R3 work-placement interns?

[Osborn]

Erin Wall replaces Kristine Opolais who withdrew late last week. EW sang the part to great acclaim at the EIF last year.

The CBSO's Chorus Director. Simon Halsey tweeted after Thursday's rehearsal:
>@CBSOChorus @TheCBSO how does he do it? Nelsons manages to make War Requiem into a new piece in just 90 mins. We are lucky.<
I heard the CBSO on Saturday; again their allround virtuosity & power was breathtaking. Looking forward to the broadcast

[Mary Chambers]

Chorus Director. Simon Halsey tweeted after Thursday's rehearsal:
how does he do it? Nelsons manages to make War Requiem into a new piece in just 90 mins. We are lucky.<

I'm not altogether sure that I want a new piece - War Requiem (there, at last I've got the hang of not calling it THE War Requiem) is the piece I want to hear - but I know what he means.

There's a short thread on this subject here;

http://www.for3.org/forums/showthread.php?5428-Live-in-Concert-30-May-Britten-s-War-Requiem&highlight=requiem

[Vile Consort]

Will it feature the delay that preceded the first performance, I wonder?

[decantor]

I notice that the info-page on the BBC website says --

"Tonight's performance is broadcast live on BBC Radio 3 and simultaneously across European television."

Television? Is this a typo, or could it be that other nations' broadcasting corporations do feature serious music live on TV?

[Mary Chambers]

It's on television in Germany and France, I believe, and we're supposed to be able to watch it online at The Space Arts. It's not working for me so I'm just going to listen.

[Simon Biazeck]

The latter, I'm afraid but you can see a live stream at www.thespace.org/ as noted in the Performance section of these boards. It pays to travel!

[ardcarp]

Thanks SB! I'm watching online now...and it's GREAT! (Shame BBC.)

[ardcarp]

Wow. That was something. Superb conductor that really understood voices as well as having a clear beat for the orchestra. The ending was magical. How come the Beeb can clear its schedules for snooker and football but not for this major event in the nation's cultural history...nay of Europe's history?

[Simon Biazeck]

Thanks SB! I'm watching online now...and it's GREAT! (Shame BBC.)

You are most welcome! I'm glad you enjoyed it. Generally I'm not here to bash the Beeb but I must say it's pretty shabby that Aunty couldn't find a space on BBC 4 for this; one the greatest works of musical art by a British composer (a genius IMO) on the 50th anniversary of it premiere! The least they could've done is flagged up the www details more clearly. I could go on ... but AMEN (pppp) for now.

[Mary Chambers]

It is scandalous that it was on television in other countries (17 of them, according to the announcer), but not here, where it originated.

I thought I'd be able to watch online, but it didn't work. No idea why not, as i can watch other things on that site, though I've never tried to watch live before. I'm probably not up-to-date enough. Will get my computer-expert son to sort me out. However, it was marvellous on the radio, and there seemed a very intense atmosphere. Still wondering, though, why a boys' choir (specified in the score) wasn't used. This was a mixed youth choir, mainly girls, I should think. (I wonder who came in a bit early on the '-men' of the final Amen?)

[Norfolk Born]

Mary - I tried to watch online, but the picture kept breaking up. We had thunder and lightning at the time, which may or may not be relevant, but whatever the reason I was very disappointed.

[Mary Chambers]

It will be on the site for a while, I think, but it would have been exciting to watch it live.