Lorin Maazel – Britten: War Requiem (2017) [Qobuz FLAC 24bit/44,1kHz]

The War Requiem, Op. 66, is a large-scale, non-liturgical setting of the Requiem composed by Benjamin Britten mostly in 1961 and completed in January 1962. The War Requiem was performed for the consecration of the new Coventry Cathedral, which was built after the original fourteenth-century structure was destroyed in a World War II bombing raid. The traditional Latin texts are interspersed, in telling juxtaposition, with settings of poems by Wilfred Owen, written in World War I. The work is scored for soprano, tenor and baritone soloists, chorus, boys’ choir, organ, and two orchestras (a full orchestra and a chamber orchestra). The chamber orchestra accompanies the intimate settings of the English poetry, while soprano, choirs and orchestra are used for the Latin sections; all forces are combined in the conclusion. The Requiem has a duration of approximately 90 minutes.

Tracklist

Benjamin Britten (1913-1976)

01. War Requiem, Op. 66: I. Requiem aeternam-“Requiem aeternam” (Children’s chorus)
02. War Requiem, Op. 66: II. Requiem aeternam-“What Passing Bells” (Tenor)
03. War Requiem, Op. 66: III. Requiem aeternam-“Kyrie eleison” (Chorus)
04. War Requiem, Op. 66: IV. Dies irae-” Dies irae, dies illa” (Chorus)
05. War Requiem, Op. 66: V. Dies irae-“Bugles Sang” (Baritone)
06. War Requiem, Op. 66: VI. Dies irae-“Liber scriptus” (Soprano, Semi-chorus)
07. War Requiem, Op. 66: VII. Dies irae-“Out there, We Walked quite friendly up to Death” (Tenor, Baritone)
08. War Requiem, Op. 66: VIII. Dies Irae-“Recordare” (Women’s Chorus)
09. War Requiem, Op. 66: IX. Dies Irae-“Be Slowly Lifted Up” (Baritone)
10. War Requiem, Op. 66: X. Dies irae-“Dies irae” (Chorus)
11. War Requiem, Op. 66: XI. Dies Irae-“Lacrimosa dies illa” (Chous)
12. War Requiem, Op. 66: XII. Dies irae-“Move Him into the sun” (Tenor, Soprano, Chorus)
13. War Requiem, Op. 66: XIII. Offertorium-“Domine Jesu Christe” (Children’s Choir)
14. War Requiem, Op. 66. XIV. Offertorium-“So Abraham rose” (Tenor, Baritone)
15. War Requiem, Op. 66: XV. Sanctus-“Sanctus, Hosanna and Benedictus” (Soprano, Chorus)
16. War Requiem, Op. 66: XVI. Sanctus-“After the Blast of Lightning” (Baritone)
17. War Requiem, Op. 66: XVII. Agnus Dei-“One Ever Hangs…Agnus Dei” (Tenor, Chorus)
18. War Requiem, Op. 66: XVIII. Libera Me-“Libera Me” (Soprano, Chorus)
19. War Requiem, Op. 66: XIX. Libera me-“It Seemed that out of Battle I Escaped” (Tenor, Baritone)
20. War Requiem, Op. 66: XX. Libera me-“Let us Sleep now… In paradisum” (Tutti)