War requiem [sound recording] / Britten.
By: Britten, Benjamin
.
Contributor(s): Owen, Wilfred | Vishnevskai͡a, Galina [prf.] | Pears, Peter [prf.] | Fischer-Dieskau, Dietrich [prf.] | Preston, Simon [prf.] | Britten, Benjamin [cnd.] | Bach Choir (London, England) [prf.] | London Symphony Chorus [prf.] | Highgate School. Boys' Choir [prf.] | Melos Ensemble [prf.] | London Symphony Orchestra [prf.].
Material type: 
MusicPublisher: London : Decca, p1999Description: 2 sound discs : digital, stereo., mono. ; 4 3/4 in.Subject(s): Owen, Wilfred, 1893-1918 -- Musical settings | Requiems | Music rehearsalsDDC classification: CD/4182 | Item type | Current library | Call number | Copy number | Status | Barcode | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| General lending | MTU Cork School of Music Library CD | CD/4182 (Browse shelf(Opens below)) | 1 | Available | 00159676 |
Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:
This album, named by the BBC as one of the 50 greatest recordings of all time, was made in 1962 shortly after the premiere of Benjamin Britten's searing War Requiem, written for the reconsecration of Coventry Cathedral after it was destroyed during the Blitz of World War II. Britten was the conductor. Surely, it is not always true that composers make the best interpreters of their own works, but this one, at the very least, reflects what Britten had in mind. The ailing Britten was unable to serve as chief conductor at the work's live premiere, and soprano Galina Vishnevskaya was refused permission by the Soviet government to travel to England for the performance. However, for the recording, both those problems were solved. Britten wrote the work specifically with Vishnevskaya, baritone Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, and tenor Peter Pears in mind, and the contrasts he draws between them are vivid indeed. Sample Vishnevskaya's haunting sound in the "Liber scriptus" from the Dies irae. Notwithstanding the occasional Russian accent, she is marvelous throughout. Moreover, Britten proves an adept handler of the varied forces of the work, matching the varied texts that mix the Latin requiem mass with contemporary English-language poetry by Wilfred Owen on the theme of war. The full forces are soprano, tenor, and baritone soloists, adult chorus, boys' choir, organ, a full orchestra, and a chamber orchestra, and Britten keeps these all well in hand. The 1962 sound is quite good, and another draw is the set of tapes from rehearsals made during the preparation of the album; these are included with Decca's 2013 rerelease of the album. They give valuable insights into what Britten intended. A marvelous classic; anyone who hasn't heard it should rectify that situation. ~ James Manheim
Latin text from Missa pro defunctis; English poems by Wilfred Owen.
Sung in Latin and English.
Ed. recorded: Boosey & Hawkes.
Compact discs.
Program notes by Christopher Palmer in English with French and German translations, notes on the rehearsal extracts by Donald Mitchell in English, and text in Latin and English with German and French translations (57 p. : ill.) inserted in container.
War requiem (1:21:11) -- Rehearsal extracts (49:34)
Galina Vishnevskaya, soprano ; Peter Pears, tenor ; Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, baritone ; Bach Choir ; London Symphony Orchestra Chorus ; Highgate School Choir ; Simon Preston, organ ; Melos Ensemble ; London Symphony Orchestra ; Benjamin Britten, conductor.
Recorded in Kingsway Hall, London, January, 1963.