Thu 4/23 & Sat 4/25 @ 7:30PM
Sun 4/26 @ 3PM
It’s appalling to see some of this country’s so-called “leaders” cheering for war as if it were a video game without real-life consequences. British composer Benjamin Britten (1913-1976) certainly didn’t take that view. A pacifist who detested war and saber-rattling, he was commissioned to write the War Requiem, an orchestral/choral composition, to celebrate the 1962 reopening of the rebuilt Coventry Cathedral, a 14th-century cathedral which was destroyed in November 1940 by German bombs during World War II. The piece was scheduled for this performance likely even before Trump took office for the second time, but it’s very appropriate for what is happening in the world today.
The Cleveland Orchestra Chorus, the Cleveland Orchestra Children’s Chorus, and vocal soloists soprano Tamara Wilson, tenor Andrew Staples and baritone Ludwig Mittelhammer will join the orchestra. Thirty-year-old Finnish conductor Klaus Mäkel, a rapidly rising star who will be taking over as music director of the Chicago Symphony during the 2027-2928 season, returns to conduct the orchestra as a last-minute substitute for previously announced conductor Daniel Harding.
The concert preview in Mandel Concert Hall aa hour before each performance will feature Oberlin associate professor Jamie O’Leary.
Go here for tickets.