A combination of factors came together to make our 1963 War Requiem recording, composed by Benjamin Britten and released by Decca, so successful – here are just a few of them…
A special recording
When The Bach Choir were asked to be a part of the definitive recording of Britten’s 1963 War Requiem, conducted by Benjamin Britten, our singers would have known that they were about to embark on something special. But could they ever have known truly how seminal this recording would be?
A crucial work in a deeply symbolic setting
Before the recording process began, Britten’s work was premiered at the newly-built Coventry Cathedral – the composition was commissioned especially for the opening of this wonderful building. After it was bombed during World War II, work began on rebuilding it in 1955 and lasted seven years – the church symbolically incorporated the bombed ruins of the original cathedral into its design.
Britten’s work perfectly complemented this important building, and the premiere was praised as being ‘undoubtedly one of Britten’s masterpieces’ by The Guardian. It was ground-breaking in many ways – firstly it utilised a unique combination of ensembles which included two orchestras and a children’s choir, and it also broke away from the traditional Latin Requiem Mass to incorporate the poetry of Wilfred Owen.
Highgate Boys’ Choir and John Rutter
The piece requires a children’s choir of excellent standard, and Highgate Boys’ Choir certainly fit the bill – they frequently gave premieres of new works. While the individual members of the Boys’ Choir weren’t credited on the recording, one singer has gone on to have just a few more credits in his own right – our President, John Rutter. He calls it a ‘cherished memory’ in this interview:
Revolutionary recording techniques
The recording session was manned by John Culshaw, a record producer whose previous claim to fame was in masterminding a recording of Wagner’s Ring Cycle.
At a time when the new technology of stereo recording (ie recordings that used a left and a right speaker) was largely being poorly utilised, Culshaw sought to find a way to use it to create a ‘theatre of the mind’ in his Ring Cycle – he used the separate audio channels to create tension and drama in the absence of a stage.
He replicated these techniques in the War Requiem recording, which he is said to think is his best ever recording.
The Bach Choir’s role
The Bach Choir were invited to take part in the recording alongside the London Symphony Orchestra in June of 1962, in a recording session by Decca Classics. They were praised in this quote from The Times:
“It was a rhythmically vivid performance… for which praise must go to the Bach Choir who were in best voice, and to Mr. Willcocks as, predictably, to the LSO – but above all to Britten for whom, rightly, the chief applause was gratefully reserved.”
How the recording performed
The recording performed incredibly, selling 200,000 recordings in the first five months. This was unprecedented territory for a classical recording at the time, especially for such a modern work. It later went on to be voted number 3 in BBC Music Magazine’s top recordings of all time, and is still heralded today as the definitive recording of the piece. You can hear a re-issued version on Decca Classics
Our live performance
61 years later, we returned to this classic recording for a performance at Westminster Cathedral. Here’s the story of that special evening, which was filled with emotion.
We look forward to our next performance of that masterpiece – in the meantime, find out when we’re next performing and book your tickets here.