Among the composers of the last hundred years for whom writing a Requiem has been a significant ambition there stands one name whose work has been considered a masterpiece – a word used by one Times critic even before Britten’s magnum opus was premiered at Coventry Cathedral in May 1962. With numerous performances since that occasion, the War Requiem is still considered by many a masterpiece. Nearly fifty years after the composer’s death, this performance at the Royal Festival Hall marked the launch of the London Philharmonic Orchestra’s new season In Search of Purpose. Judging from what I heard, the War Requiem has lost none of its power or rancour, its pacifist message and Wilfred Owen’s cautionary “All a poet can do today is warn” still massively relevant, Britten’s achievement remaining unequivocal.
And the strength of this performance, it could be said, was felt in an awed stillness, an almost reverential silence following the impeccably placed final chord sung by the combined forces of the London Philharmonic Choir and the London Symphony Chorus. Their contribution was outstanding. The two choirs are no strangers to the Requiem, having recorded the work before, at least once. Aside from overcoming the work’s various challenges (not least pitch and rhythm), it was the flawless ensemble and tuning from the choir that was utterly convincing. It’s been a while since I’ve heard such a large assembly of singers, and amateur singers at that, perform with such complete assurance, with clear diction, unanimity of tone and an unfailing sensitivity to the Latin texts. Those disturbing tritones periodically occurring throughout the work caused no insecurity and there was no shortage of power for the Day of Wrath episode, a dramatic highpoint. No less confident were the young voices from the Tiffin Boys’ and Girls’ Choirs, placed behind the audience up in the balcony seats, excelling in the angular phrases of ‘Te decet hymnus’ and the jaunty ‘nursery’ tune within the Offertorium, their words coming across clearly and energetically.
Taking the solo roles, Britten’s request for the voices to represent the three principal nations from both World Wars was mostly observed, with American tenor Paul Appleby (replacing Allan Clayton), German baritone Benjamin Appl and Ukrainian Welsh soprano Natalya Romaniw. Anyone concerned about the possibility of being shortchanged due to Clayton’s indisposition had nothing to fear. Appleby may not yet be a household name in the UK, but he made clear his credentials from the off, and by the time of his line ‘Move him into the sun’ I was fully convinced. A well-projected tone and capacity for expression was exemplified in his haunting ‘here is no cause to mourn’, surely refuting Britten’s claim that “music is essentially powerless to express anything at all”. If I had one very slight quibble with this soloist it was his rendition of the ‘Agnus Dei’, the only moment for me in the entire performance that felt uninvolving. Admittedly, I was anticipating a fractionally slower tempo, but that torturously chromatic final phrase seemed more cautious than poignant.
That said, there was a fine partnership with Benjamin Appl, their music-hall duet ‘Out there, we’ve walked quite friendly up to Death’ was suitably mocking, the Abraham and Issac narrative perfectly attuned, and the mournful ‘let us sleep now …’ was quietly devastating. Elsewhere, I found Appl’s voice just a tad colourless, the lower end grainy. At the other end of the stave, Natalya Romaniw soared over the orchestra, delivering her ‘Liber scriptus’ with authority, and likewise, gave a commanding ‘Sanctus’, notwithstanding some uneven tone in her upper register. Considering that she’s sung this role before (a Prom concert in 2024), I couldn’t quite see why her head was buried in her score so much of the time.
Supporting the singers was the London Philharmonic Orchestra, and a chamber ensemble to Edward Gardner’s right, ideally placed to facilitate maximum communication between him and all three soloists. The players brought all their collective and individual talents together to form a superb collaboration, solo contributions from within the chamber group especially gratifying. Throughout, Gardner balanced the work’s solemnity and irony with absolute mastery, the LPO alert to his every gesture, their playing unimpeachable whether in the desolation accompanying Owen’s poems or the raging fanfares of the ‘Dies Irae’.
David Truslove
War Requiem, Op. 66
Requiem for chorus and orchestra based on texts by Wilfred Owen
Composed by Benjamin Britten
Natalya Romaniw – soprano; Paul Appleby– Tenor; Benjamin Appl – baritone; London Philharmonic Orchestra; London Philharmonic Choir; London Symphony Chorus; Tiffin Boys’ Choir; Tiffin Girls’ Choir; Edward Gardner – conductor
Royal Festival Hall, 26 September 2026
All photos © Andy Paradise