Benjamin Britten and Japan

From the program notes for Britten's "Sinfonia Da Requiem":

In 1940 Britten was asked by a high official of the British Council if he would consider writing a symphony for a celebration honoring a foreign dynasty. He agreed, but he stated that he would not become involved with any nationalistic propaganda.

After beginning the work, he learned that it was intended as part of the festivities surrounding the 2,600th anniversary of the founding of Japan's dynasty in 660 B. C. He also discovered that composers from France, Germany, Italy and Hungary had received similar commissions.

Two things influenced the expressive content of this music: Britten's strong anti-war views and his sorrow at the deaths of his parents. Although he labled the three movements with names from the Latin Requiem Mass, he did not mean this work to be religious, however. These titles represented emotions.

• "Lacrymosa" -- extreme sadness
• "Dies Irae" -- day of wrath and anger
• "Requiem aeternam" -- eternal peace

The plan was initially approved by the Japanese, and the score was completed during the spring of 1940. Six months later Britten received a scathing rebuke from the Japanese officials saying that his use of Christian dogma and liturgy was a calculated insult to the Emperor, and they rejected the "Sinfonia" completely.

"Sinfonia Da Requiem" was performed in 1941 for the first time in New York by the New York Philharmonic. Britten happened to be there for the performance, which was conducted by Koussevitzky. From this meeting, Britten got a commission for his famous opera, "Peter Grimes".

In 1956, Britten traveled to Japan to lead performances of his music, including a performance of the "Sinfonia Da Requiem". This concert was broadcast from Toyko on NHK Radio. During his visit to Japan, Britten saw some traditional "No" plays which inspired some music which he composed soon after that.

I was surprised to learn about Britten's connections with Japan!