National Symphony Orchestra - Britten's War Requiem

We Will Remember them

Following four years of fighting that rocked the world, the Allies and the Central Powers finally called an Armistice on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month, bringing the First World War to a close. Like many throughout Europe and further afield, Benjamin Britten struggled to come to terms with the shattering impact and in 1962, when creating a piece to celebrate the re-opening of Coventry Cathedral, he imbued his feelings into his masterwork: War Requiem.

Bringing together the Orchestra, The Choral Arts Society of Washington, Children's Chorus of Washington and several soloists, the NSO memorialize the centenary with an epic recital of this monumental piece.

Evocative and unforgettable, with a heightened emphasis on grief and loss, it is a tribute to humanity and inspires hope that one day, the cycle of violence will end, as illustrated by the accompanying words of war poet Wilfred Owen.