War Requiem The chamber orchestra accompanies the intimate settings of the English poetry, while soprano, choirs and orchestra are used for the Latin sections; all forces are combined in the conclusion. The Requiem has a duration of approximately 80-85 minutes. The "War Requiem", first performed on 30 May 1962, was commissioned to mark the consecration of the new Coventry Cathedral, which was built after the original fourteenth-century structure was destroyed in a World War II bombing raid. The reconsecration was an occasion for an arts festival, for which Michael Tippett also wrote his opera "King Priam". Britten, a pacifist, was inspired by
George Coventry, 8th Earl of Coventry George Coventry, 8th Earl of Coventry George William Coventry, 8th Earl of Coventry (16 October 1784 – 15 May 1843), styled Viscount Deerhurst from 1809 to 1831, was a British peer and Tory Member of Parliament. Coventry was the eldest son of George Coventry, 7th Earl of Coventry, and his wife Peggy (née Pitches), and was educated at Christ Church, Oxford. He was elected to the House of Commons as one of two representatives for Worcester in 1816, a seat he held until 1826. In 1831 he succeeded his father in the earldom and entered the House of Lords. In