Programming Choral Repertoire on Subjects of War, Conflict, Peace, and Remembrance
In 2025, we reach the 80th anniversary of the conclusion of the Second World War. Though the calls for global peace gathered strength through the Cold War and beyond, in recent decades we have seen the return to warfare in Europe and major conflicts continuing to be waged around the world. Sadly, the subject of war and peace is ever topical.
Explore choral repertoire in the Boosey & Hawkes catalogue that reflects on the subjects of war and conflict, as well as peace and remembrance.
Choral Works
Laura Rossi - Voices of Remembrance
Inspired by 10 famous WWI poems commemorating and remembering the soldiers who lived, fought, and died in the First World War, Laura Rossi's Voices of Remembrance was written whilst creating a new score for the Imperial War Museum (UK) film 'The Battle of the Somme'. This vivid score combines her powerful music with these important historical poems. The 45-minute work, scored for SATB chorus and orchestra, can be performed with readings of the poems, moving us closer to the thoughts and feelings of the soldiers: their spirit, their strength, their hopes and fears.
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Benjamin Britten - War Requiem
Commissioned for the opening of the new cathedral at Coventry, built to replace the one destroyed by bombings during the Second World War, Benjamin Britten’s iconic War Requiem embodies the composer’s deeply held pacifist and humanitarian beliefs. Watch a video of composer John Rutter, one of the boy choristers from Highgate School who participated in the iconic 1963 Decca Records recording, reflecting on the impact Britten's War Requiem had on him. An arrangement of the 'Agnus Dei' for organ, tenor soloist, and SATB by Philip Brunelle is also available.
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Kerensa Briggs – Requiem
First performed by the BBC Singers on Armistice Day 2022, Kerensa Briggs’ Requiem is a heartfelt and poignant setting of nine sections from the Office for the Dead. This moving 35-minute work for mezzo-soprano soloist, mixed chorus, and organ highlights the composer's appreciation of the connection between music and faith.
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Karl Jenkins - The Armed Man: A Mass for Peace
Karl Jenkins' The Armed Man: A Mass for Peace blends haunting melodies and powerful orchestration to explore the horrors of war and the universal desire for peace. The narrative takes the listener on a journey, from the 'Angry Flames', an excerpt from a poem about the horrors of the atom bomb attack on Hiroshima, to the iconic 'Benedictus' which heals wounds in its slow and stately affirmation of faith, leading to the final, positive, climax of the piece. 2025 marks the 25th anniversary of the work's first performance.
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Gerald Finzi's Requiem da Camera
Gerald Finzi's Requiem da Camerawas written in memory of Ernest Farrar, his composition teacher who was killed at the end of the First World War. The piece contrasts the permanence of the land, and a centuries-old pattern of rural life following the rhythm of the turning seasons, with the violent havoc and destructive dislocation wrought by war. The work is scored for baritone solo, SATB chorus and chamber orchestra, or an organ reduction by Francis Jackson is also available.
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Kim André Arnesen - The Stranger
Wars and conflicts inevitably displace individuals, families, and even entire populations from the place they call home. Kim André Arnesen’s 45-minute work, The Stranger, explores the plight of refugees through texts, both sacred and secular, some reflective and some written by persons who have had to flee their homeland to escape danger or threat. The music is not written in a strictly Western classical style, but rather contains elements from many different traditions including associations with repertoire from the Middle East.
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More Choral Works
> Lera Auerbach: In Praise of Peace (SATB soli, SATB & orchestra)
> Kim André Arnesen: Stabat Mater (SATB or SSAA & chamber orchestra or organ)
> Magnus Lindberg: Triumph to Exist... (SATB & orchestra)
> Karl Jenkins: For the Fallen (SAATTB & organ)
> Will Todd: Blessed are the peacemakers (SATB & piano)
> James MacMillan: When you see the millions of the mouthless dead (SATB a cappella)
> Rhiannon Randle: Da pacem Domine (SAATTB a capella)
> David Bednall: Three Songs of Remembrance (SATB div. a capella)
> David Brunner: A Song to End All War (SA & piano)
> Ian Carpenter: In Paradisum (SSAATTBB a cappella)
> Gabriela Ortiz: Tierra (SSSAAATTTBBB a cappella)
> Karl Jenkins: In Flanders Fields (SATB & organ)
> David Horne: Pensive (Mezzo-Soprano solo, SATB & organ or orchestra)
Programming Choral Repertoire on the Subjects of War, Conflict, Peace, and Remembrance