Prom 37: Review of Britten's War Requiem – a tragically relevant act of remembrance | Proms 2024

BRitten's commemorative masterpiece was written for the consecration of Coventry Cathedral, a place of worship risen from the ashes of almost total destruction in World War II. It was intended as an occasional piece, and it is depressing how often we find new opportunities to reflect on the composer's pacifist message. The three original soloists, an Englishman, a German and a Russian, were to represent the main combatants of two world wars (though the Soviets ultimately refused Galina Vishnevskaya permission to leave). This Prom performance featured an equally apt cast: a British tenor, an American baritone and a Welsh-Ukrainian soprano, reflecting the West's determination to resist this current “lightning bolt from the East” – to quote Wilfred Owen.

Much here was outstanding: the sense of somber ceremony, the clarity of expression, and the chance to marvel again at Britten's clever placement of Owen's poems within the framework of the Latin requiem mass. Antonio Pappano took every opportunity to build dramatic tension in an organic, tightly disciplined reading that relied heavily on musical storytelling. Seldom has this choral work felt so operatic.

The London Symphony Orchestra, which will welcome Pappano as chief conductor next month, played with fire and concentrated precision. The London Symphony Chorus, BBC Symphony Chorus and Tiffin Boys' Choir (who sang divinely from the gallery) offered emotional intensity, from a breathtakingly calm opening through the unbridled joy of the Sanctus and Hosanna to the sheer terror of the Libera me. In the Requiem Aeternam, antiphonal voices swayed from left to right and back again like a giant musical censor.

Both male soloists were gifted vocal artists, bringing a special intensity to Owen's texts. Allan Clayton's radiant yet supple tenor was capable of great warmth and daring pianissimos that made the hairs on the back of your neck stand on end. Will Liverman, making his Proms debut, showed a well-formed baritone and a healthy poetic instinct. Now and then, however, both singers needed to be reminded of the sheer size of the auditorium. Natalya Romaniw had no such problems. With high notes that rang out like a silver bugle, she crowned a tragically relevant act of remembrance.