Here, here - well spoken David! Britten' War Requiem was performed very well here in Memphis a couple of weeks ago. My son was in the Choir.
Some people I spoke to afterwards thought that only London was bombed during the Second World War! Have a wonderful day. Tony Anthony Cullen, MCSE, MCSA Sr. Technical Support Provider, Enterprise Informatics Information Sciences Department St. Jude Children's Research Hospital 262 Danny Thomas Place, Memphis, TN 38105 901-595-3767 (Office) [email protected]<mailto:[email protected]> Finding cures, Saving Children From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Lee Pollock Sent: Monday, November 25, 2013 8:36 AM To: [email protected] Subject: RE: [ChurchillChat] I blew up over Coventry myth.. . David - thank you for speaking out, the risk of public admonition! As you note, this problem has been magnified of late by the centennial of Britten's birth and there have hence been a number of recent performances of the War Requiem around the country. (Someone gave me a program of one this summer by the Grant Park Festival Orchestra and the notes had a similar assertion.) I will forward you the contact information for the program annotator and you can reach out to him to correct his error and suggest he tell others in the music world. Perhaps that may reduce the chances of this recurring in future. Undoubtedly the War Requiem will continue to be performed around the world as it such an important part of modern choral music. Lee Lee Pollock Executive Director The Churchill Centre [email protected]<mailto:[email protected]> From: [email protected]<mailto:[email protected]> [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of David Freeman Sent: Monday, November 25, 2013 1:06 AM To: Churchill Chat Subject: [ChurchillChat] I blew up over Coventry myth. Colleagues, This evening I attended a performance of Benjamin Britten's War Requiem at the Orange County (California) Performing Arts Center. Written 50 years ago for the dedication of the new Coventry Cathedral, the Requiem is a major work of sacred music. This performance marked the centenary of Britten's birth, which was last week. Before the concert there was an "academic" talk by some kindly but ill-informed Ph.D. who repeated the urban myth that Churchill let Coventry burn to protect the Ultra secret. Sadly, a rather large group of the OC's well-to-do had an "awkward" moment when I exploded and called the speaker out in front of the entire audience. The casual repetition of slander and calumny from an "academic authority" by way of explaining the deaths of 568 people and the wounding of more than 1200 more is where I draw the line between politely keeping quiet in society and loudly standing up for the truth. One person made a point of coming up to me and saying, "you sir, are an ass", but an elderly woman who told me she was from the Coventry area and remembered the bombing well told me that she admired my courage. KBO, David -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "ChurchillChat" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>. Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/churchillchat. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out. -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "ChurchillChat" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>. Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/churchillchat. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out. ________________________________ Email Disclaimer: www.stjude.org/emaildisclaimer Consultation Disclaimer: www.stjude.org/consultationdisclaimer -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "ChurchillChat" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/churchillchat. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out.
