It seems appropriate on the 5th anniversary of the Iraq war that the Grand Rapids Symphony gave a stunning presentation of Benjamin Britten's War Requiem.
The piece juxtaposes the Latin requiem mass sung by the chorus, with two soloists singing words by Wilfred Owen, the British poet who died near the end of World War I. The men, a tenor and a baritone, represent two soldiers who were responsible for each other's deaths in battle.
Britten wrote the Requiem in 1960 as an elegy to the great wars of the 20th Century. It is a massive piece that required 400 singers and musicians on stage to do it justice. Quite remarkable for a regional orchestra and a testament to the quality of the GRS and David Lockington's leadership.
It is a very moving piece, combining the majesty of the Catholic mass with the poignancy of the two soldiers reaching back from the grave to speak about life and war.
As the piece progressed through the stages of the mass I couldn't help thinking about the awful war America has created and the death and sorrow that is the inevitable result. All wars make sense to the leaders who start them - but in the end they are all the same. Their justifications fade into history while the memories of the dead remain with us forever.
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