# War Requiem review – in the cathedral where it premiered, Britten’s masterpiece has lost none of its power

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/war-requiem-review-in-the-cathedral-where-it-premiered-brittens-masterpiece-has-lost-none-of-its-power/
- Published: 2026-11-12T12:40:10+00:00
- Updated: 2026-11-12T13:05:10+00:00
- Original publisher: The Guardian (publisher lean: Left)
- Original article: https://www.theguardian.com/music/2026/nov/12/war-requiem-review-britten-coventry-cathedral-cbso-yamada
- Topics: Culture, Europe, World

## Key points

- Britten’s *War Requiem* retains its power in Coventry Cathedral.
- The performance marked Armistice Day and 50 years since Britten’s death.
- The review praised its vocalists and powerful shifts in scale.

## Summary

The City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra returned to Coventry Cathedral to perform Benjamin Britten’s *War Requiem*, the work’s original setting for its 1962 premiere. The performance marked Armistice Day and 50 years since Britten’s death, and showed how the piece’s anti-war message and emotional force continue to resonate.

Kazuki Yamada led the orchestra, CBSO Chorus, CBSO Youth Chorus and Trinity Boys Choir, with soloists Christian Gerhaher, Andrew Staples and Olga Peretyatko. The review praised the chorus’s blended sound and the soloists’ expressive performances, while noting that the cathedral’s acoustics sometimes obscured words. The reviewer was especially struck by the music’s shifts between intimate passages and a huge, collective sound of protest and hope; the broadcast is available on BBC Sounds until 10 December.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.