by Tony Magee
With the Paris Olympics upon us, the spotlight shines, for a brief moment, on 200 or more countries, sovereign states and territories, represented by thousands of athletes and tens of thousands of spectators and visitors from around the world, all united in solidarity.
It is in disturbing contrast to current world conflicts - the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the civil war in Sudan and the Israel-Gaza war.
This unique dichotomy of world events, reminds me of the massive concert undertaking in Canberra in 1988, celebrating International Year of Peace, where a performance of Benjamin Britten’s War Requiem took place, produced by the ANU Opera Workshop at Llewellyn Hall.
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| David Parker & Marie van Hove |
A huge work, requiring a full symphony orchestra, as well as a smaller chamber orchestra, the score also calls for a huge massed adult choir, two boy’s choirs, plus three vocal soloists - soprano, tenor and bass / baritone.
Director of the School of Music at the time, John Painter, endorsed the project as did the Federal Government, headed by Prime Minister, Mr Bob Hawke.
As the news spread, ambassadors from many nations wanted to be present at the concert and some made addresses, as did the Governor-General of the time, Sir Ninian Stephen.
But as the concert date approached, which was Saturday July 16, 1988, peace messages from world leaders started arriving across John Painter’s desk. These were printed in the program, the first of which was from our own leader:
From Mr Bob Hawke, Prime Minister of Australia
"COMPOSED in the nuclear age, but drawing on the words of a great poet and tragic victim of the First World War, Wilfred Owen, and the powerful ancient Latin text of the Requiem Mass, Benjamin Britten’s ‘War Requiem’ is a heartfelt denunciation of the horror or war.“It is greatly to the credit of the Canberra Community, through the Canberra School of Music, and in particular to the director of its Opera Workshop, David Parker, that they have chosen to dedicate a performance of this monumental and ambitious work to the cause of peace. I also pay tribute to the distinguished Australian musicians and the St. Andrew’s Boy’s Cathedral Choir of Sydney, who have come to Canberra to augment our own orchestral and choral forces for tonight’s performance.
“I express my appreciation to the Australian War Memorial and to the National President of the Returned Services League of Australia, Sir William Keys, for their support. And I thank distinguished representatives from the diplomatic corps for the international dimension they have brought to this important event.
“In 1988, I believe that we stand at one of the most hopeful junctures in world affairs since 1945. There is a new spirit of understanding and cooperation abroad between governments of different systems. The Australian Government is proud of the constructive contribution we have made to this spirit.
“But the efforts of Governments will achieve nothing for peace without the voice and will of the peoples of the world to spur them on. Through tonight’s performance of the Britten ‘War Requiem’, I look forward to hearing the voices of men, women and children of Australia, raised in support of the cause of world peace.”
R. J. L. Hawke.
From Mr Ronald Reagan, President of the United States of America
"WARMEST greetings to everyone gathered in Canberra for a world peace concert sponsored by the Returned Services League, the Canberra School of Music and the Australian War Memorial.“You gather in Canberra’s 75th anniversary year and in Australia’s 200th, and as we in the United States celebrate the 212th anniversary of our independence, I am proud to speak for all Americans in thanking Australians for their efforts through the years in defence of freedom, self-government, and human rights, the pillars of peace and democracy alike.
“World peace and world freedom have been central to my four discussions with General Secretary Gorbachev and my meetings with Prime Minister Thatcher, Chinese leaders, Secretary-General Perez de Cuellar, and, of course, Prime Minister Hawke just a few weeks ago. We can be optimistic about a safer, freer future - because the desire for peace and freedom is manifested everywhere today. The agreements that General Secretary Gorbachev and I signed in Moscow signify progress, and we’ll continue our momentum.
“As I’ve said before, the cause of peace and the cause of freedom are one and the same. Our forward strategy for peace and liberty is based on faith in the eventual triumph of human freedom. May I conclude on a personal note - the many faces I saw in Moscow held expressions of hope just like those everywhere, reminding us that it isn’t people, but governments, that make war, and that a new era of peace and freedom can be ours if only we will reach for it.
“You have my best wishes now and for the years to come. God bless you.”
Ronald Reagan.
From Mr Li Peng, Premier of the People’s Republic of China
"ON BEFALF of the Chinese government and people, I wish to extend my warm congratulations to the Australian “World Peace Concert” in Canberra. I would also like to take this opportunity to offer my sincere greetings to the Australian people.“The Chinese people love peace. China has all along taken it upon itself as its sacred duty to safeguard world peace. At present, the Chinese people are bent on the modernisation drive, which necessitates a long-term peaceful international environment.
“China is ready to exert unremitting efforts for world peace and common progress together with Australia and other peace-loving countries and peoples of the world and thus make due contributions to this end.
“I wish you a complete success of the “World Peace Concert”.
Li Peng.
From Mrs Margaret Thatcher, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
" I SEND my greetings and good wishes for the success of the World Peace Concert in Canberra. I am much looking forward to my forthcoming visit to Australia.“History shows that peace does not happen by accident nor simply because a majority desire it.
“Its preservation requires determination and strong defences. This is what we strive for in Britain and in Europe and the Atlantic Alliance.
“In the wider world, the United Nations acts as a court of world opinion and plays a vital role. It is incumbent on all nations to live up to the ideals set down in the United Nations charter and to work together until the United Nations is a true temple of peace.”
Margaret Thatcher.
From Jacques Delors, President of the Commission of the European Communities
"THE War Requiem which we are about to hear portrays a British and a German soldier lamenting the futility of a civil war in Europe - one of many which tore our continent apart - and some of which plunged the world into chaos."The repetition of such wars had become unthinkable because most western European countries are now united in the European Community. They have made a clear and deliberate choice: - against hostility and violence - in favour of dialogue and mutual understanding.
"Every day, the countries of the European Community deepen and broaden their cooperation and search with determination for common answers to the challenges of a henceforth common future.
"Thus the European Community has been a decisive factor in the peace and prosperity which the whole of Western Europe has enjoyed now for almost half a century. At the same time it developed its cooperation with industrialised and developing countries alike, with the aim of increasing the economic well-being of the world.
"This has been our contribution to the cause of world peace to which the European Community is unwaveringly committed.
"And this is the message I wound like to bring tonight from the citizens of the European Community to their friends in Australia and throughout the world."
President Delors.
From Dr Perez de Cuellar, Secretary-General, United Nations
"I APPLAUD your international appeal for peace through the performance of Benjamin Britten’s War Requiem in Canberra.“Britten abhorred war, not only the physical destructiveness of it, but also the deep iniquity of it.
“Because his music, as in his life, had a strong moral dimension, Britten viewed war as a violation of the most basic social, religious and human values.
“Today, when the threat of nuclear war carries with it the threat of universal annihilation, and several regional conflicts rage, Britten’s Requiem speaks to us with particular force…
“…Britten was lamenting that Wilfred Owen’s warnings of the horror of war had not been heeded.
“In the preface to Britten’s musical score, he quotes Owen’s words: “My subject is war and the pity of war…. All a poet can do today is warn…
“…Your own country, Australia, which this year is celebrating its Bicentennial, is another example of the strength of unity in diversity.
“You have come together to form a modern nation constructed from the culture and traditions of all your peoples. In its own way, your nation is a mirror of the wider world, represented in the United Nations…”
“… My message to you today, therefore, is that we must not forget the warning of two great talents - Benjamin Britten and Wilfred Owen - that war must be shunned and that peace must be the eternal quest of humanity.
“The United Nations is attuned to that hope and will work unceasingly to make it a reality,”
Dr Perez de Cuellar.
THE SOLOISTS in the concert were Australian soprano Marilyn Richardson, Welsh tenor David Parker and Australian baritone Geoffrey Manning.
The Canberra School of Music Symphony Orchestra, led by Leonard Dommett O.B.E. was joined by a Chamber Orchestra led by Donald Hazelwood O.B.E.
The massed adult choir of The Canberra School of Music Opera Workshop, including myself in the tenor section, the late David Reedy and many of my other musical colleagues and friends, were joined by the Chorale from the Canberra Boy’s Choir and the St Andrew’s Cathedral Boy’s Choir of Sydney.
In all, there were 281 musicians and singers on the stage of Llewellyn Hall performing this monumental work.
The musical director and conductor was Marie van Hove.
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| Program cover design by Vera Sell Ryazanoff |
I reproduce the sequence of events of the evening from the program notes as printed:
ORDER OF CEREMONY
Master of Ceremonies, Sir William Keys, AC, OBE, MC, welcomes His Excellency, Sir Ninian Stephen, the Governor-General of Australia, the Honourable Robert J. Hawke, AC, MHR, Prime Minister of Australia, and the Heads of Mission and invites them to address the audience in the following order:
The Hon. Robert J. L. Hawke, AC, MHR [Australia]
His Excellency, Dr E. M. Samoteikin [USSR]
His Excellency Mr L. William Jane Jr [USA]
His Excellency Mr Zhang Zai [People’s Republic of China]
His Excellency Mr A. John Coles [United Kingdom]
His Excellency Mr Ove Juul Jorgensen [Commission of the European Communities]
Mrs Thelma O’Con-Solorzano [U.N.O.]
Performance of WAR REQUIEM by Benjamin Britten
After the performance, Sir William Keys will introduce the Governor-General who will speak.
Llewellyn Hall was packed to capacity - 1,400 seats in those days. In addition, the entire event was recorded by the ABC and broadcast on Classic FM the following week.
Canberra Times journalist Stephanie Green was there and reviewed the concert, published in Monday’s paper, 18th July 1988. I reproduce below:
WORLD PEACE CONCERT
War Requiem (Op. 66) by Benjamin Britten
by Stephanie Green
July 18, 1988, reprinted July 30, 2024
"BENJAMIN BRITTEN’S War Requiem (Op. 66) is an extraordinary work, reflecting on the tragedy of two major European wars and sounding a warning for the future. In counterposing Wilfred Owen’s war poems with the more stylised Latin liturgy of the Mass for the Dead, Britten created a haunting musical statement on the futility of war.
"The performance of Britten’s War Requiem in Llewellyn Hall on Saturday night was billed as a “World Peace Concert”. Prior to the performance a number of dignitaries spoke briefly, introduced by Sir William Keys. The Prime Minister, Mr Hawke, began the speeches by saying peace was one of the most important issues concerning humankind. He was followed by the American, Soviet and Chinese ambassadors, the British High Commissioner and representatives from the UN and European Communities, while the audience waited patiently to hear the music.
"When it began, the opening bells of the Kyrie and the brooding phrases of the Des Irae spoke sincerely and potently for the cause of peace. Sir Ninian Stephen, the Governor-General, spoke after the performance and read an apt passage from the poetry of Siegfried Sassoon, who was a contemporary of Owen’s.
"The requiem operates on three levels. The liturgy is sung by massed choir with solo soprano, observing the ritual of mourning. The poems of Wilfred Owen, written in the trenches of World War I, are sung by two soldiers on the sides of opposing forces, accompanied by a small chamber orchestra. These solos convey the gruelling realities of the battlefield and contrast with the transcendent voices of the boy’s choir. The War Requiem’s tolling bells and recurring motifs are a reminder of what has to be done. The sad beauty of its final passages achieve a sense of peace in death, yet seeking peace in life.
"Owen’s words provide us with a palpable sense of the private, human tragedy of war.
"Move him unto the sun, Gently his touch awoke him once … if anything might rouse him now, the kind old sun will know.
"David Parker sang the tenor role with Geoffrey Manning as the baritone. Marilyn Richardson sang solo soprano with the strong lyrical purity that is essential to Britten’s music. The large ensemble required for this piece was conducted by Marie Van Hove, who sustained the pace and turbulence of the music while effectively drawing out the more pensive moments with her baton.
"The Canberra School of Music achieved an organisational feat in presenting this world peace concert. The requiem was well attended by the public, and it is to be hoped that the support and concern shown for issues of world peace are affirmed in action as they were in words and music."
- Stephanie Green
The event was a palpable example of art and politics uniting, triumphing over war, hatred, racism, discrimination and intolerance.
The Paris Olympics, through the unification of international sporting nations, represents these ideals too.
IN CONCLUSION, I should like to quote from Somerset Maugham’s short story, “The Alien Corn."
“True artistry has magic - the combination of soul and fire without which no artist can hope to achieve the heights. If I thought anyone had the makings of a great artist, I wouldn’t hesitate in encouraging them to give up everything for their art.
“In comparison with art - wealth, rank, power - they are nothing.”
This article also published at the Canberra Critics Circle website, July 30, 2024.
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