{"id":9810,"date":"2014-10-29T07:51:42","date_gmt":"2014-10-29T14:51:42","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.nexusnewspaper.com\/?p=9810"},"modified":"2014-10-27T13:54:55","modified_gmt":"2014-10-27T20:54:55","slug":"brittens-war-requiem-honours-those-who-suffered-in-battles","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nexusnewspaper.com\/newsite\/2014\/10\/29\/brittens-war-requiem-honours-those-who-suffered-in-battles\/","title":{"rendered":"Britten\u2019s War Requiem<\/em> honours those who suffered in battles"},"content":{"rendered":"

Over 150 voices will ring out in the Royal Theatre on November 8 when Britten\u2019s War Requiem<\/i>, an emotional orchestral performance of tragedy and remembrance, takes place in Victoria. The concert will include the talents of the Victoria Symphony, as well as 165 choral voices from the Vox Humana Choir, Victoria Choral Society, and St. Michael\u2019s Children\u2019s Choir.<\/p>\n

What makes 2014 a good year to debut this remarkable piece of music is that it marks the 100th anniversary of the beginning of World War I. It\u2019s also the year former Victoria Symphony composer Hugh Davidson passed away.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Brian Wismath of the Vox Humana Choir, who will be lending their voices to Britten\u2019s War Requiem (photo provided).<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cDavidson was a strong advocate for the arts, a composer, and an influential member of the Victoria Symphony,\u201d says Brian Wismath, choral director for Vox Humana Choir.<\/p>\n

Last year was also significant to this performance, as it would have marked the 100th birthday of composer Benjamin Britten, who passed away in 1976. Britten was born in Suffolk, England and became one of the country\u2019s most influential composers of the 20th century. During his prime years, Britten wrote 14 operas, including pieces for Sadler\u2019s Wells in Covent Garden. His War Requiem<\/i> premiered in 1962, after it was commissioned four years earlier for the consecration of the Coventry Cathedral.<\/p>\n

The requiem also features the poetry of famous war poet Wilfred Owen and was named the greatest masterpiece of the 20th century by music sovereign Shostakovich.<\/p>\n

The vocalists featured in the piece include soprano Joni Henson from Toronto, baritone Phillip Addis from Port Colborne, Ontario, and local tenor Benjamin Butterfield. All three soloists have extensive careers in Canada.<\/p>\n

\u201cMr. Butterfield is a spectacle often seen on stage in Victoria with both the Pacific Opera and the Victoria Symphony,\u201d says Wismath.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, Victoria Symphony\u2019s music director Tania Miller is celebrating her 11th season and will be the conductor for the performance of Britten\u2019s War Requiem.<\/i><\/p>\n

The word \u201crequiem\u201d refers to a mass for the rest of the souls of the dead, and this production will honour through orchestral and choral music those who suffered in WWI and WWII, says Wismath.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe piece starts off in a C and F sharp, which is an interval tri-tone and represents the interval of the devil,\u201d explains Wismath. \u201cThis tone should conjure up feelings of great tension that itches to be resolved.\u201d<\/p>\n

Britten\u2019s War Requiem
\n<\/i>Saturday, November 8
\n$30 and up, Royal Theatre
\nrmts.bc.ca<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Over 150 voices will ring out in the Royal Theatre on November 8 when Britten\u2019s War Requiem, an emotional orchestral performance of tragedy and remembrance, takes place in Victoria. The concert will include the talents of the Victoria Symphony, as well as 165 choral voices from the Vox Humana Choir, Victoria Choral Society, and St. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":9811,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4,134],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9810","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-arts","category-october-29-2014"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t