BBC Symphony Orchestra - Insights into the War Requiem

BBC Symphony Orchestra sub-principal viola Phil Hall describes the rehearsals for Britten's War Requiem and an unsually moving performance.

I have absolutely no idea why but Russian conductors often seem to have a real affinity with British music; Yevgeny Svetlanov performed and recorded Elgar, Gennadi Rozhdestvensky enjoyed Vaughan Williams during his tenure at the BBCSO in the 1980s and Rostropovich had a famously close friendship with Benjamin Britten.



As part of the ongoing Britten centenary this year, Leningrad-born Semyon Bychkov conducted us in the War Requiem at the Royal Albert Hall on Remembrance Sunday. He is no stranger to the piece, having conducted it recently in Spain, Italy, France and America.

He takes pains in rehearsal to perfect the details of the score, emphasizing the heavy bow-strokes in the Dies Irae and the correct brass phrasing so that it matches the words. He is clearly deeply moved by the piece and by the occasion of the concert, wanting to know the history behind wearing poppies and also the British Legion.

The latest release of Britten's own 1963 recording with Decca contains 50 minutes of surreptitiously recorded rehearsal, previously unreleased. These comments provide invaluable insights for a conductor and Semyon has written them into his score at pertinent points and shares a few of these gems with us.

At the end of the rehearsal he sits back on his stool, towel around his neck like a boxer, and surveys the orchestra with a steady nod: 'You are so fortunate to have such a genius composer... really'. Coming from a country with a fair few genius composers of their own, I am happy to take the compliment.

But he is a conductor who insists on detail and will keep plugging away until he is satisfied with the results; nobody escapes his watchful eyes and keen hearing - he corrals ever-vigilant chorus master Stephen Jackson - (probably the only person present to have sung at the work's premiere - as a boy treble) - while still conducting, giving instructions for the large chorus without dropping a stitch. Even the wee Westminster Abbey trebles (ages 8 and up) get a raised eyebrow when their pitching goes slightly askew. Their hard working chorus master James O' Donnell apologises: 'Sorry, we were put off by the bell overtones... It will be fine tomorrow.' Indeed it was - with bells on.

It can happen that as soon as the first note is played in a concert you know you are in for something special. When the conductor gave the initial upbeat I felt a collective breath, as if the whole orchestra and chorus were corporately hanging on to his baton. So it continued to the end, whether scaling the terrifying heights or plumbing the heart-breaking depths of this extraordinary work I sensed a real unanimity. For once the barn-like Albert Hall seemed just the right venue, perfect for housing the vast forces on- and off- stage, the stellar soloists, and the thousands in the audience.

Afterwards I noticed a few people sitting near the front almost in tears. I knew exactly how they felt.

• Listen to the concert
• Britten Centenary Weekend, 22-24 November
• BBC Symphony Orchestra
• Semyon Bychkov