NSOI: Britten’s War Requiem

A towering masterpiece of the 20th century, Britten’s pacifist masterpiece was written to mark the re-opening of Coventry Cathedral in 1962 after the destructive damage during the Second World War. Among the greatest settings of a liturgical text, it combines the Latin Mass with the poems on the horrors of war, by British soldier and poet Wilfred Owen and has been described as “an enormous contraption of musical ingenuity” and “devastating and unforgettable” ( The Guardian). It remains a deeply relevant meditation on conflict and reconciliation. A tribute to Benjamin Britten in the 50th annive