By Mike Telin
Benjamin Britten’s War Requiem, first performed on 30 May 1962, was commissioned to mark the consecration of the new Coventry Cathedral, which was built after the original 14th-century structure was destroyed during a World War II bombing raid.
Britten, a pacifist and conscientious objector, chose to interleave the traditional Latin Mass for the Dead with poems by Wilfred Owen that were written during World War I.
On Thursday, April 23 at 7:30 pm in Mandel Concert Hall Klaus Mäkelä will lead The Cleveland Orchestra, Chorus, Children’s Chorus, and soloists soprano Tamara Wilson, tenor Andrew Staples, and baritone Ludwig Mittelhammer in Britten’s monumental work. The program will be repeated on Saturday at 7:30 pm and Sunday at 3:00 pm. Tickets are available online.
We caught up with Andrew Staples by phone and began our conversation by asking him to share his thoughts on the work.