The War Requiem by Benjamin Britten

Tonight we'll be going to see Benjamin Britten's War Requiem at the Cathedral of the Madeleine in Salt Lake City (here's their announcement). It's an enormous, gorgeous piece that, because it requires such a broad vocal cast, is rarely performed. I'm a huge fan of Britten's vocal work (e.g., the operas Billy Budd and Peter Grimes) and I'm thrilled this is happening. (The fact that it's just down the street from me — the Madeleine is at 331 E. South Temple — and that it's FREE only make things better.)

As a note, the piece was composed to celebrate the reconstruction of Coventry Cathedral, which had been destroyed during World War I. It uses both the text of the Latin mass and the poetry of Wilfred Owen, who was killed one week before the war ended. (That's his poetry in the picture above.) And, finally, here's the writeup in the Salt Lake Tribune this week.

Hope some of you can make it!

Repertory Dance Theatre: Vanguard

As a public service announcement, I wanted to let every single one of you know that Repertory Dance Theatre, one of Utah's three major professional dance companies, is having its season opener this weekend (6-8 October 2011). RDT is a modern dance company that, in addition to creating new works, also has the unique mission of preserving the history of modern dance.

In this spirit, their first performance, called "Vanguard," features several historically significant works: Scramble by Merce Cunningham (1968, and with sets by Frank Stella!), and Trio A (1966) and Chair Pillows (1969) by Yvonne Rainer. The concert also features a new composition by the RDT dancers themselves.

My wife, Jacque Bell, is a modern dance choreographer and dancer who has long time connections with RDT. Also, I have been on the company's board of trustees for several years. (As part of that responsibility, I have been pursuing a pet project to have the US Congress declare RDT a Living National Treasure! We'll see how that goes.)