War destroys bridges, music builds them:
'Triangle of Hope' to be completed in Exeter
18 June 2005
Earlier this year, in a small town in Germany called Hanau, three people stood before picture upon picture of a ruined city, a ravaged landscape, a devastated population.
Sixty years ago, their countries had been at war: Now sixty years later, these three people found themselves singing together in an extraordinary concert. Their three choirs - from England, Germany and Russia - had joined forces to perform the War Requiem of Benjamin Britten in Hanau, sixty years to the day when the city had been virtually destroyed by bombing. Two months later, on the sixtieth anniversary of VE day, the three choirs met again in Yaroslavl (Russian twin city of both Exeter and Hanau) for a second, equally extraordinary performance of this great work.
Now, on June 18th, the War Requiem project - dubbed 'Triangle of Hope' - will be completed in Exeter, when Exeter's magnificent medieval Cathedral will resound to the voices of the three choirs singing together once more – Exeter Festival Chorus, Hanauer Kantorei, and Yaroslavl Glas Choir. This will be the opening Cathedral concert in this year's Exeter Festival, and a major civic event.
The War Requiem is a monumental work, requiring large-scale forces. Besides the 170-strong choir, soloists will be (as Britten originally stipulated) from all three countries, too: Russian soprano, Natalia Kreslina; British tenor, Neil Jenkins; and German baritone, Peter Schüler. Exeter Cathedral Choristers (under their director, Andrew Millington) will provide the angelic voices of the childrens choir. The musicians of the London Gala Orchestra (leader, Wilf Goddard) will divide into two orchestras – a main orchestra and a chamber orchestra. And all will be under the batons of Nigel Perrin (Musical Director of the Exeter Festival Chorus) and Christian Mause (Musical Director of Hanauer Kantorei).
The War Requiem (commissioned for, and first performed at, the re-consecration of Coventry Cathedral in 1962) is a mighty outcry against the horror and futility of war. At the same time, it is a passionate plea for international reconciliation and understanding. Those three ordinary people at the exhibition were living proof that music can achieve what war cannot: war destroys bridges, music builds them.
However, our 'Triangle of Hope' project will not end with the performance. A generous grant was given to the Exeter Festival Chorus by the Big Lottery Fund, as part of its 'Home Front Recall' programme, to enable us to produce an audio-visual educational resource, to be distributed free of charge to every secondary school in Devon. This will link the music we have heard tonight with the wider context of recollections and experiences of ordinary people from all three countries involved in the project, whose lives were caught up in World War II, and marked by it in all sorts of ways. The project will also be kept alive by means of a website, due to launch in early September 2005.
This has been an extremely ambitious project, and consequently has required large-scale financial resources. We would like gratefully to acknowledge all those who have sponsored and contributed to the project in various ways. Without them, the project would not have happened.
Sponsors and supporters include:
Exeter City Council
The Britten Trust
The Big Lottery Fund: Home Front Recall
The City of Hanau
The City of Yaroslavl
The Foster Trust
The Pennon Group
ABB (Germany)
Degussa (Germany)
DQS (Germany)
Kassel Association of the Glas Choir (Germany)
Mr & Mrs P J Bliss
Mrs Anne Burley
Jenny Lloyd
Wendy Payne
Mrs R Rigg
Rodean Restaurant
Sally Sparham
Paul Tiernan
Mrs E J Walmesley
Dr Pamela West
We would also like to acknowledge many other anonymous donations.
Finally, we are grateful to the following for their help and support:
The Dean & Chapter of Exeter Cathedral
The staff of Exeter Cathedral
The staff of Exeter Festival
Poppy's Flowers
Stage Electrics
Southgate Hotel
StageCoach
The British Embassy in Moscow
