Been listening to it.  Wondered if anyone could help me with an
'interpretation' problem.  It is in the offertory where you get the 'quam
olim Abraham promisisti et semimi ejus' juxtaposed with the rewritten old
testament and the Hostias sung by the boys (which I have taken to be the
symbol of innocence - of the soldiers perhaps? the cannon fodder?) and have
found the experience bizarre.  It is made worse by the ALMOST whimsical
lightness of the et semini ejus, the horrific? weight of the old testament
and the purity of the Hostias.  I have come up with two possibilities:

1. Owen sees the world leaders at the time as Abraham and deliberately
destroy one-by-one the seed of europe.  Britten simply for irony's sake
sets it against Owens old testament and the boys who are to die make their
presence felt which gives more weight to the 'crime' of the world leaders
as they are responsible for their deaths.

2. Britten uses his resources to mock Christianity or perhaps religion
since the OT is as important to Judaism as it is to Christianity (IIR my RE
lessons C) and I am sure he would not have wanted to have a go at Jews, at
that time.  The idea of the Holy Standard Bearer, Michael is it?, with this
betrayal of god by Abraham (maybe still the world leaders who would have
been Christian of course) and the offering of prayers for the privilege of
being in this situation.  Maybe a mockery of the text of the Requiem as it
is completely unsuitable for these dead soldiers?  I can't imagine Britten
as an atheist/agnostic was particularly fond of such ideas as the
confutatis - souls being burned to ashes etc.

Anyway, a bit heavy I know but input would be helpful.  I am sure it
helps to understand the music.  I am sure I have changed my perspective on
it having watched Saving Private Ryan - how did they get away with making
that a 15 - it is the most horrific thing I have ever seen - when they make
something as laughable as Scream an 18.  I thought the film undermined its
integrity at the end though, it was all very 'dolce et decorum est pro
patria mori' wasn't it?

David Stewart
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