Paul McCreesh led 300 musicians in a recording of Britten’s War Requiem in January, He and his Gabrieli Consort & Players took to theWatford Colosseum  to record  in honour of the composer’s centenary year. Also taking part were members of the Gabrieli Young Singers’ scheme, the Wrocław Philharmonic Choir, and soloists Susan Gritton, John Mark Ainsley and Christopher Maltman. The disc is due for release in September 2013 on Signum Classics / Winged Lion.

‘Our War Requiem sessions were really one of the happiest experiences I’ve ever had in the studio,’ said McCreesh.  ‘Maybe it was the mixture of Polish and British musicians, or the alchemy of including 60 young singers into the professional mould; all the same it was a privilege to command 300 plus musicians with such extraordinary energy and quiet focus. Or was the obvious thing that Britten’s staggering masterpiece is – after 50 years, and some notable detractors – now accepted for what it is: not just a technical tour de force of incredible genius, but a work that continues to touch and move in the profoundest way.’

The album is the third to stem from the collaboration between the National Forum of Music in Wrocław and McCreesh, who until recently was artistic director of the Wratislavia Cantansfestival, based in the Polish city. Previous releases in the Wratislavia Cantans Oratorio Series are Berlioz’s Grande Messe des Morts and Mendelssohn’s Elijah.

By Gramophone