A World Requiem

A World Requiem,Op.60is a large-scalesymphonicwork with soloists andchoirsby theBritishcomposerJohn Foulds.Written as arequiemand using forces similar in scale toGustav Mahler'sEighth Symphony,the work calls for a full symphony orchestra, soloists, massed choirs including children's choirs, offstage instrumentalists and an organ.

Foulds wrote the work between 1919 and 1921, and conceived it as a memorial to the dead of all nations in the wake of theFirst World War.The text (in English), assembled by his wifeMaud MacCarthy,to whom the score is dedicated, is not liturgical, though it uses sections of the Requiem Mass plus several other Biblical passages as well as excerpts fromJohn Bunyan'sThe Pilgrim's Progress,a poem by theHindupoetKabirand a few passages she wrote herself. There are 20 movements arranged in two parts of 10 movements each, though some movements are quite brief.

It was premiered under the auspices of theRoyal British Legionon Armistice Night, 11 November 1923 in theRoyal Albert Hallby up to 1,250 instrumentalists and singers; the latter were called the Cenotaph Choir. The soloists wereHerbert Heyner,Ida Cooper,Olga HaleyandWilliam Heseltine.The programme-book for that occasion proclaimed on its cover that the work was 'ACenotaphin Sound'and it is likely that Foulds wished to present his work as a musical equivalent of theCenotaphrecently erected inWhitehalland designed by his friend SirEdwin Lutyens.The performance brought Foulds such popular acclaim that after his death Maud MacCarthy was able to publish a book devoted to the positive responses to the work, though critical reaction was mixed. The work was repeated from 1924 to 1926 and constituted the firstFestivals of Remembrance.

The vocal score was published by W. Paxton & Co. Ltd., London, whose business was eventually absorbed by the music publishersNovello & Co.During the period when the work was being performed in the 1920s, Foulds introduced various revisions and modifications.

Having lain neglected for eighty years, theBBCin association with the Royal British Legion undertook a revival of the work, performed at the Royal Albert Hall on 11 November 2007. TheBBC Symphony Orchestrawas joined by soloistsJeanne-Michèle Charbonnet,Catherine Wyn-Rogers,Gerald FinleyandStuart Skeltonand theBBC Symphony Choruswas joined by theCrouch End Festival Chorus,Philharmonia ChorusandTrinity Boys Choirand conducted byLeon Botstein.

The concert was broadcast live onBBC Radio 3(and was streamed online from their site) and was also recorded for later release byChandos Records.The Chandos recordingwas issued in January 2008.

The German premiere was held on 2 November 2014 in Wetzlar Cathedral.