Not many musical works present a moral/political position with the power and persuasiveness of Benjamin Britten's War Requiem. Advocating the composer's nearly lifelong commitment to pacifism, the work was given a stirring performance by the San Francisco Choral Society on Friday at Davies Symphony Hall. The large chorus shared the stage with a strong group of soloists and a well-rehearsed pick-up orchestra, as well as the Piedmont Boys and Girls Choir, all under the baton of Artistic Director Robert Geary.
The Choral Society's performance is its third offering in "A Season for Peace," works commenting on war and, transparently, opposing the continuation of U.S. military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. The group is clearly concerned that we be attuned to the message, which is featured prominently in the program, even on the title page. That message is nothing less than the immorality and horror of war.
In the War Requiem, composed for the consecration ceremony of the new Coventry Cathedral in 1962, Britten sets the text of the Latin Mass for the Dead, interspersed with scathing poems by the World War I soldier Wilfred Owen. In a poem directed at the German "Big Bertha" gun, and placed by Britten in the middle of the Dies Irae section, Owen writes, "Reach at that arrogance which needs thy harm/And beat it down before its sins grow worse." The poet suggests that there may be no folly too great for humanity to take up, and that, unexpectedly, the positive result to be gained from the huge gun is that its terror may cool our ardor for more violence.
The Owens poems do more work in this piece than simply excoriate war, the generals and politicians, and false patriotism. They also offer Britten the opportunity to make a personal commentary on the canonical texts themselves. Even the choral amens in the piece are unsettled, questing upward through the tritone interval that structures the entire work, as if asking a question. And the final Requiescant in Pace (May they rest in peace) is intertwined with the tenor and baritone soloists, as soldiers who have killed each other in battle, singing "Let us sleep now," a provisional peace based in irony: Sharing death, the soldiers recognize their common humanity.
Throughout this piece, Britten pushes deeply into the meaning of the Latin Mass texts with tensely lyrical, often dissonant music. The War Requiem offers little by way of consolation, but it is fiercely original and unbelievably moving, especially in a strong performance.
Michael Zwiebach is the senior editor/content manager for SFCV. He assigns all articles and content, manages the writing staff, and does editing. A member of SFCV from the beginning, Michael holds a Ph.D. in music history from the University of California, Berkeley.