War Requiem

ORATORIO by BENJAMIN BRITTEN, 1962, written to commemorate the restoration of the Cathedral of Coventry, destroyed by bombing in World War II. The text includes six movements from the traditional Latin REQUIEM MASS and nine wartime poems by Wilfred Owens, who was killed in action shortly before the 1918 armistice. The work is scored for soprano, tenor, baritone, chorus, boys' choir, organ, small ensemble, and full orchestra.