While the atrocities of war continue to plague our planet, Britten’s ‘War Requiem’ was a most appropriate subject for Cambridge Philharmonic Society’s concert under the magnificent vaults of Ely Cathedral on Saturday 15th July.

Conductors Tim Redmond and Gerry Cornelius led the Cambridge Philharmonic chorus and orchestras in an intense, meaningful exploration of the evils of war and its catastrophic effects. The Latin text of the Requiem interwove fittingly with Wilfred Owen’s vivid poetry. Religious piety and humility contrasted well with Owen’s pictorial reality of the grotesqueness of death in battle.

Britten’s compositional skills were cleverly highlighted and the performers created a credible expression of the complexities of war in Britten’s use of contrasting textures, spatial explorations, and variety of orchestration that created moments ranging from uneasy stillness and tremendous climax to moments of sudden impact or quietness.

Cambridge Philharmonic chorus was magnificent. Voices blended effectively in passages of soft, close harmony, rhythmic chants and punctuated intensity. The opening of ‘Requiem aeternam’ and ‘Dies irae’ were notable examples. In the ‘Sanctus’, the choir contributed significantly to the massed expression of glorification and awe as the continued message of threat stirred uneasily beneath in repetitive march-like pulses.

The orchestras were an integral part of Britten’s expression. Uninhibited use of drums, gong, cymbals, bells and other percussive effects forged the music with an unrelenting sense of impending and effected catastrophe and the brittle nastiness of battle at first hand. These were especially noticeable in ‘Out there, we’ve walked quite friendly up to Death’, ‘Dies irae’, ‘Then Abram bound the youth’ and ‘After the blast of lightning from the East’. The brass players were particularly powerful, articulating dramatic bugle calls, triumphant fanfares and maniacal outbursts. They gave great impetus to ‘Dies irae’ (no. 2) ‘Bugles sang …’ and to the ‘Sanctus’.

Constant resilient strings and clearly articulated and commanding woodwind provided the cohesive foundation of this magnificent work. The succinct sudden cadences formed by major harmonic changes, the pastoral-like beauty within passages of ‘Bugles sang …’, the menacing steady movements of gradually falling and rising tones in ‘Near Golgotha’ and the short emphatic phrases in ‘“None”, said the other…’ were all notable examples that demonstrated these performers’ skill.

Sawston Village College Choir conducted by Janet Macleod gave the passages for the Boys soaring emphasis and expressive momentum. Their clearly enunciated words, skilfully produced sounds and meaningfully shaped lines contributed to an overall sense of the beauty of innocence which contrasted starkly with the ugliness and destruction of war.

The splendid effect of this performance also relied heavily on the contributions of a fine group of soloists: Maureen Brathwaite (soprano), Mark Wilde (tenor) and Neal Davies (baritone). Neal Davies with his honeyed powerful voice delivered penetrating messages from the text, especially in ‘Be slowly lifted up …’ and ‘After the blast of lightning …’ and ‘“None”, said the other…’. Mark Wilde’s rich tenor voice also had a notable role: he and Neal presented particularly intense declamatory tones in ‘Out there, we’ve walked’. Mark’s performance in ‘What passing bells’, and his sustained lamentations in ‘One ever hangs …’ and ‘It seems that out of battle I escaped …’ were especially noticeable highlights. In the latter passage, Mark demonstrated special empathy with the complex nature of Britten’s style.

The soprano, Maureen Brathwaite rose to the occasion splendidly. Her rounded tones added colour and impact to the overall effect. Her realistic and sustained tearful cries in ‘Lacrimosa dies illa’ were mesmerising.

This performance understandably had considerable impact on the audience and the lengthy pause as the final ‘Amen’ faded into the cool dark interior of the cathedral was a testament to the magnificence of this performance.

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