A cry of fury at the futility of war, and an intensely moving tribute to the dead. Benjamin Britten summed up his deeply held pacifist beliefs in his powerful War Requiem, which contrasts texts from the Latin Requiem Mass with searing visions of the First World War in poetry by Wilfred Owen.

Britten's War Requiem is a deeply humane masterpiece with a timely message of compassion and reconciliation, from the shattering fanfares of the 'Dies irae' to the exquisite concluding plea for peace.

Widely admired for his incisive accounts of British music and his expertise in choral works, Sir Andrew Davis directs the outstanding Philharmonia Orchestra, and gathers a stellar line-up of international vocalists, as well as the combined forces of the Edinburgh Festival Chorus and the boys of the NYCoS National Boys Choir.

gloriously characterful playing.

The Scotsman, Festival 2012