A Call for Peace

Reconciliation – that is the central theme of Britten’s "War Requiem". At the world premiere in the war-ravaged Coventry Cathedral, a Russian woman, a German man and an Englishman were to perform the solo parts. The fact that a Japanese conductor is now leading the world-class orchestra from the neighbouring city of Birmingham fits perfectly into the picture. Indeed, Britten’s 1962 appeal for peace has lost none of its urgency.