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Kurt Masur has recently re-read the complete works of Wilfred Owen. And he knows that today, as never before, 'the pity of war, the pity war distilled' is a truth eternally untold. His performance of Britten's War Requiem with the London Philharmonic Orchestra on Sunday 8 May will have a particular resonance. It will mark the 60th anniversary of the end of World War II - and Masur can hardly wait. 'At every concert we have a responsibility to bring a message to the audience,' he says. 'And that message has to be one of peace. What we have today is disaster: a political disaster all over the world. 'At the end of World War II, I was a 17 year-old soldier: a prisoner-of-war. We had to give up our weapons; we had to come to terms with the fact that we had lost, and we learned just how much damage Hitler had done. I know exactly what war means.' Masur started his studies in Leipzig, and his second professional engagement was with the Dresden Philharmonic. 'I saw the destruction of Dresden, and I remember something Hitler said then. He said: "We must Coventry-ize all English cities." This lay so deep in my heart that when I first came to England, I visited Coventry - and I was deeply moved by what I saw. So I grew up with this deep need for peace. 'When we perform the War Requiem, I want every listener to feel the nightmare of war. As a soldier you are confronted with death every minute. And here are two soldiers asking why did we kill each other? So it always comes back to this question: why make war? No war makes sense. To be a leader of a nation is to have huge responsibility.' But how can making music really help to make peace? 'Look, the philistines don't need music. The Mafiosi don't need it. But all those people who have it in their imaginations and their souls truly to desire peace, to live in understanding - all those people need music to nourish them. At least we can try and help to build a new generation of intelligent, sentient people.' Hilary Finch is a music critic and feature writer for The Times. She also broadcasts frequently on BBC Radio 3. Click here to read Maestro Masur's thoughts on Beethoven and the cycle he performed with the London Philharmonic Orchestra in 2004-5 More > Back to top > |