Britten’s commemorative masterpiece was written for the consecration of Coventry Cathedral, a place of worship risen from the ashes after almost total annihilation during the second world war. Intended as an occasional piece, it is depressing how regularly we find new occasions to reflect on the composer’s pacifist message. The three original soloists, an Englishman, a German and a Russian, were intended to represent the major combatants of two world wars (though in the end the Soviets refused Galina Vishnevskaya permission to travel). This Prom performance offered an equally apposite lineup: a British tenor, an American baritone, and a Welsh-Ukrainian soprano, reflecting the west’s determination to resist – to quote Wilfred Owen – this current “blast of lightning from the east”.
Much here was outstanding: the sense of sombre ceremonial, the clarity of expression, and a chance to marvel afresh at Britten’s astute placement of Owen’s poetry within the framework of the Latin Mass for the Dead. Antonio Pappano seized every opportunity to build dramatic tension in an organic, tightly disciplined reading strong on musical storytelling. Rarely has this choral work felt quite so operatic.
The London Symphony Orchestra, who welcome Pappano as chief conductor next month, played with fire and focused precision. The London Symphony Chorus, the BBC Symphony Chorus, and the Tiffin Boys’ Choir (singing ethereally from the gallery), offered emotional intensity, from a breathtakingly hushed opening, through the unbridled joy of the Sanctus and Hosanna, to the sheer terror of the Libera me. In the Requiem Aeternam, antiphonal voices swayed left to right and back again like a vast musical censer.
Both male soloists were gifted vocal actors, bringing a special intensity to Owen’s texts. Allan Clayton’s clarion, yet supple tenor was capable of great warmth and daring pianissimos that raised hairs on the back of the neck. Will Liverman, making his Proms debut, displayed a shapely baritone and sound poetic instincts. Now and then, however, both singers needed to be reminded of the sheer size of the auditorium. Natalya Romaniw had no such problems. With top notes ringing out like a silver bugle, she crowned a tragically relevant act of remembrance.
• The Proms continue until 14 September
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