Durham
Benjamin Britten’s War Requiem
Duke ChapelA Duke Chapel performance so ambitious university officials have had to remove pews to fit all of the necessary musicians, Benjamin Britten’s 1962 War Requiem will bring the Duke Chapel Choir, Choral Society of Durham, Duke Chorale, Durham Children’s Choir, an orchestra and a chamber orchestra together under the leadership of Rodney Wynkoop. War Requiem was composed by Britten for the reconsecration ceremony of Coventry Cathedral, which was destroyed in World War II. Britten’s piece espoused anti-war ideals, using Latin text and nine poems by World War I soldier Wilfred Owen, killed only a week before Armistice Day, to decry war’s effects. Performances are Saturday, April 19, at 8 p.m. and today at 4 p.m. Tickets are $20. The program includes free lectures, including an analysis of Britten’s pacifism and Owen’s poetry. For details, see music.duke.edu. Grayson Currin
