Witness History
Witness History
Benjamin Britten's War Requiem
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June 9, 2021
10 minutes
Available for over a year
Regarded as one of the most important pieces in 20th Century English music, Benjamin Britten's War Requiem was first played in the newly-built Coventry Cathedral in 1962. The original had been destroyed during World War II. In 2013, Simon Watts spoke to Maggie Cotton, one of the orchestral performers who took part, and to composer Michael Berkeley, Britten's godson.
(Photo: Benjamin Britten in 1964 - BBC copyright)