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.
