11 May 2005

Britten's War Requiem at Royal Festival Hall, London

Flag-waving celebrations may have been the order of the day across the river, but a far more thoughtful marking of the VE Day anniversary was to be found in the London Philharmonic’s tribute, which almost inevitably took the form of Britten’s War Requiem. What wasn’t inevitable was that it should be led by the orchestra’s chief conductor, who spent VE day as a teenage German soldier in an Allied prisoner-of-war camp. However, it seemed right that Kurt Masur was there.


Benjamin Britten

War Requiem

Erica Jeal [The Guardian, 11 May 05]

Flag-waving celebrations may have been the order of the day across the river, but a far more thoughtful marking of the VE Day anniversary was to be found in the London Philharmonic's tribute, which almost inevitably took the form of Britten's War Requiem. What wasn't inevitable was that it should be led by the orchestra's chief conductor, who spent VE day as a teenage German soldier in an Allied prisoner-of-war camp. However, it seemed right that Kurt Masur was there.

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