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Ghosts in the Ruins is a modern response to Benjamin Britten's War Requiem in 1962.

Nitin Sawhney has been commissioned by City of Culture to create a contemporary ‘War Requiem’ to mark 60th anniversary of Coventry Cathedral.
The commission marks the 60th anniversary of the consecration of Coventry Cathedral, for which Benjamin Britten’s masterpiece ‘War Requiem’ was created. It receives its world premiere on 27 January 2022, with two additional performances on 28 and 29 January.

´óÏó´«Ã½ CWR have taken a look back at Coventry in the 1960s and spoken to Fraser Watts, who was a 16 year old who performed in the choir at the first performance of Benjamin Britten's War Requiem in Coventry Cathedral in 1962.

City of Culture reporter Ushma Mistry visited the workshops that have been taking place for local poets to create the words for the new piece of work, including Coventry's Poet Laureates Emilie Lauren Jones and Hawwa Hussain.

We also catch up with Ivor Novello winner, Nitin Sawhney who has composed this new response for 2022. We hear about his creation for Ghosts in the Ruins and from the choirs who are looking forward to taking part.

‘Ghosts in the Ruins’ will explore contemporary ideas of peace and reconciliation and reflect Coventry as a city of sanctuary, with a strong history of helping refugees, asylum-seekers and migrants, and acknowledging a sense of connection to the rest of the world. The work will explore themes of acceptance, healing, transcendence, hope, resilience, regeneration and reconciliation in relation to contemporary conflicts, is an acknowledgement of the destruction of the past as well as hope for the future of the world.

The performance will be in two linked parts - the first part is seated inside the modern Cathedral, with a focus on intimate and reflective choral moments, featuring performances by singer YVA, violinist Eos Counsell and the Coventry Cathedral choristers and local poets. The audience will then be invited to move into the Ruins of the Cathedral to experience a dramatic conclusion, during which the professional musicians and choirs will be joined by community singers from in and around Coventry.

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