The
monumental War Requiem is one of
the
great masterpieces of the 20th century
and
Britten's most profound and public
statement
of his passionately held pacifist beliefs.
By
interspersing the traditional Latin 'Mass for the
Dead"
with
the bitter war poetry of Wilfred Owen, Britten
coveys
both the horror of war's futile slaughter
and
his deep sympathy with man's self-inflicted
suffering.
Above all, the War Requiem is a denunciation
of
the wickedness of war and a warning to future
generations
of the senselessness of taking up arms
against
fellow men - a warning we continue to ignore at
our
peril.
Conductor: Paul Kildea
Soloists: Orla Boylan, Allan Clayton, Ronan Collett
Australian
Youth Orchestra
Sydney Philharmonia Symphony Chorus and Chamber Singers
Gondwana Voices