Premiered in Coventry Cathedral in 1962, newly restored after its heavy bombing during world war two, Benjamin Britten’s setting of the Latin Requiem mass, with insertions of deeply moving first world war poetry by English poet Wilfred Owen, are as much an act of renewal and hope as an evocation of loss and destruction. In this special staged performance by Catalonian choreographer Calixto Bieito the combined forces of full choir, children’s chorus, chamber orchestra, symphony orchestra, organ and three solo vocalists are accompanied by a striking and dynamic visual element, set among cathedral stained glass and builders’ scaffolding, that hammers home Britten’s themes of pacifism and renewal.
Music - Benjamin Britten
Libretto - Benjamin Britten, on Latin chants and poems by Wilfred Owen
Conducting - Lothar Koenigs
Directing - Calixto Bieito
Set Design - Susanne Gschwender
Costume Design - Ingo Krügler
Lighting Design - Michael Bauer
With Natalia Tanasii, Evan Leroy Johnson, Johannes Kammler, The Norwegian National Opera Chorus, The Norwegian National Opera Orchestra, The Children's Chorus
Also 16/9, 18/9, 23/9, 25/9 and 3/10 2016.
Produced by DNO&B. Coproduction with Theater Basel.
