Review – Britten’s War Requiem from London Philharmonic Orchestra

A courageous and perfectly timed season opener from the LPO, meeting the need of the moment with precision craft.

This was an exceptional performance, not simply because of resolute attention to detail from all on stage and in the chorus seats. Rather, a strategic view combined with courage and craft brought about something needed, appreciated, and resonant, just at the precise moment in time it was called for. It demonstrated Edward Gardner’s continued commitment to his art, underlined the LPO’s position as the destination for the discerning listener, and helpfully and reliably gestured to its considerable back catalogue. Programming, performers, and the occasion met the need of the moment, and reinforced the brand. Quite the achievement.

Many contenders compete for the topline. The combined London Philharmonic Choir and London Symphony Chorus met the theatrics in Britten’s score with a consistent, sometimes chilling articulation. Tiffin Boys’ Choir and Tiffin Girls’ Choir, whilst not as ethereal as they might have hoped, responded well to the dry acoustic from their position at the back of the auditorium, and still captured the dark awkwardness Britten imposes in his harmonies.

Soprano Natalya Romaniw opened assertively, incisive in the upper register, later ardent. Baritone Benjamin Appl conveyed the weight of the concluding bleakness with a light touch.

It was Paul Appleby – deputising for the billed Allan Clayton – who dropped a jaw or two. In anything Britten wrote for tenor, there’s a danger of hearing the soloist channel Pears. Not so here. Appleby tackled the terror, the pain, and the loss with fortitude and with warmth. That he’s heard far more in the US than here seems odd, and surely won’t last.

The Lacrimosa made perfect sense in the context of Gardner’s modern-day take, even if I’d have liked it to wallow a little more than he wanted it to. Nonetheless, this was a special and courageous season opener this week from the LPO.

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