Britten War Requiem
Southwark Cathedral, London, SE1 9DA
Saturday 8th November 2025
Britten’s War Requiem brings the Outcry OutLoud series to a searing and unforgettable close. Written for the consecration of Coventry Cathedral in 1962, the work stands as one of the most powerful artistic statements of the twentieth century: a monumental plea for peace forged in the aftermath of two world wars.
Interweaving the timeless words of the Latin Requiem Mass with the stark, deeply human poetry of Wilfred Owen, Britten creates a haunting dialogue between tradition and modernity, collective ritual and individual witness. The result is a work of overwhelming intensity, confronting themes of loss, conflict, and reconciliation with unflinching honesty.
Through its vast forces – soprano, tenor, and baritone soloists, choirs, organ, and orchestra – the War Requiem transcends the concert hall to become both memorial and warning. It is a fitting culmination to Outcry’s celebration of voices raised without fear, affirming music’s power to speak out against violence and to call us towards compassion, unity, and hope.
Interweaving the timeless words of the Latin Requiem Mass with the stark, deeply human poetry of Wilfred Owen, Britten creates a haunting dialogue between tradition and modernity, collective ritual and individual witness. The result is a work of overwhelming intensity, confronting themes of loss, conflict, and reconciliation with unflinching honesty.
Through its vast forces – soprano, tenor, and baritone soloists, choirs, organ, and orchestra – the War Requiem transcends the concert hall to become both memorial and warning. It is a fitting culmination to Outcry’s celebration of voices raised without fear, affirming music’s power to speak out against violence and to call us towards compassion, unity, and hope.
