Radio 3 in Concert: 7: Volgograd - Mamayev Kurgan

A live performance for Remembrance Day of Benjamin Britten's War Requiem by the BBC National Orchestra and Chorus of Wales, conducted by Mark Wigglesworth, and presented by Nicola Heywood Thomas from St. David's Hall, Cardiff. Written for the rededication of Coventry Cathedral in 1960, after the original building was tragically destroyed by bombs during the Second World War, Britten's War Requiem interspersed the words of the Mass for the Dead with the poetry of Wilfred Owen. This combination creates a powerful narrative that speaks of the mourning of the souls lost in the war, but also of the futility of war itself. The words are set to incredibly powerful music which moves between a large orchestra and chorus, a chamber orchestra and soloists, and an off-stage boys' chorus. Britten: War Requiem, Op 66 Emma Bell (soprano) Allan Clayton (tenor) Roman Trekel (baritone) BBC National Orchestra and Chorus of Wales Gloucester Cathedral Boy Choristers Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama Choir Mark Wigglesworth (conductor) Nia Llewelyn (assistant conductor) Followed by another Sonic Memorial for Armistice Day recorded on location and introduced by Allan Little. Battle of Stalingrad, August 1942-January 1943