John Foulds' A World Requiem was the musical event of mid-'20s England. The work was premiered by the composer leading 1,250 singers and players assembled in the Albert Hall on Armistice Night, November 11, 1923, under the eyes of the Prince of Wales and the auspices of the British Legion and proved a tremendous critical and popular success. Its fusion of symphonic song cycle and Requiem Mass and its message of hope and transcendence resonated with the conscious of the Empire after the horrors of the Great War, and the work ...
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John Foulds' A World Requiem was the musical event of mid-'20s England. The work was premiered by the composer leading 1,250 singers and players assembled in the Albert Hall on Armistice Night, November 11, 1923, under the eyes of the Prince of Wales and the auspices of the British Legion and proved a tremendous critical and popular success. Its fusion of symphonic song cycle and Requiem Mass and its message of hope and transcendence resonated with the conscious of the Empire after the horrors of the Great War, and the work was repeated on each subsequent Armistice Night through 1926. Due to a change of leadership in the Legion and the composer's outspoken socialism, however, A World Requiem was not performed on Armistice Night 1927 nor on any other night until this performance -- on Armistice Night, November 11, 2007.Recorded in stupendous super audio digital sound by Chandos and featuring Leon Botstein leading the BBC Symphony Orchestra and Chorus, the Philharmonia Chorus, the Crouch Festival Chorus,...
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