War Requiem at Den Norske Opera & Ballett

Under the direction of Calixto Bieito, Benjamin Britten’s masterpiece War Requiem is a clear protest against terror and the destruction of war. A large chorus, children’s chorus, chamber orchestra, symphony orchestra, organ and three outstanding soloists perform this powerful musical call for peace, which is just as necessary today as it was when the work was first performed in the aftermath of the Second World War.

War Requiem was written to mark the reopening of Coventry Cathedral in 1962. Along with 4,000 homes, the cathedral had been bombed to smithereens in 1940. German baritone Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, Russian Soprano Galina Vishnevskaya and English tenor Peter Pears all sang in the first performance of the work – as an expression of reconciliation between former enemies.

In our production, the Main House becomes a cathedral in the process of being reconstructed. Here, we meet three talented singers: Moldovan soprano Natalia Tanasii, Norwegian baritone Yngve Søberg and American tenor Evan Leroy Johnson. The Norwegian National Opera Chorus, the Norwegian National Opera Children’s Chorus and the Norwegian National Opera Orchestra are led by Lothar Koenigs, Musical Director at the Welsh National Opera.