BRITTEN: War Requiem.(Brief Article)(Review)

BRITTEN: War Requiem [] Woytowicz; Pears, Wilbrink; Wandsworth School Boys' Choir, New Philharmonia Chorus and Orchestra, Melos Ensemble, Giulini. 1969. Text and translation. BBC Legends 4046-2 (Koch, dist.)

This live recording from London in April 1969 documents an interesting moment in the performance history of Benjamin Britten's War Requiem, which had been in circulation for nearly seven years. As a result of concerts throughout Europe under Colin Davis, Bernard Haitink, Wolfgang Sawallisch and others, the work was beginning to move away from its original circle and acquire a life of its own, even though in England it was still heavily linked to its creators. Here Britten himself takes command of the chamber orchestra, and tenor Peter Pears remains from the original cast. No soprano had yet recarved the part as Heather Harper was to do in the 1970s, and Stefania Woytowicz is very much in the school of Galina Vishnevskaya, the first interpreter, while Dutch baritone Hans Wilbrink does a passable imitation of Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau.

Carlo Maria Giulini apparently had been in the running to conduct the 1962 premiere, after huge successes at Covent ...