Requiem, the pity of War
In 2018, tenor Ian Bostridge and pianist/conductor Antonio put together an impressive recital program titled Requiem, the pity of War. They collected beautiful songs with German and English lyrics, in which the horrors of the battlefield and the inner turmoil of young soldiers are extensively explored through the musical compositions of renowned composers such as Gustav Mahler and Kurt Weill. We are also introduced to a German and an English composer who died in battle, and whose music generally receives too little attention: George Butterworth and Rudi Stephan.
Program details
- George Butterworth – 5 songs from A Shropshire Lad (lyrics: A.E. Housman)
- Rudi Stephan – 6 songs from Ich will dir singen ein Hohelied (lyrics: Gerda von Robertus)
- Kurt Weill – 4 songs with lyrics by Walt Whitman
- Gustav Mahler – 3 songs from Des Knaben Wunderhorn
Ian Bostridge, tenor / Antonio Pappano, piano
William Hyde, On the Teme, coloured illustration for A Shropshire Lad (1908)
