“When I was in Brisbane I heard a BBC interview with the Baroness Cox, who is a great advocate for children orphaned by war. I was greatly moved and decided I wanted to write a requiem for those kids.”
Lehmann ended up by writing his Symphonic Requiem for the Child Victims of War, a devastating work for violin and orchestra voicing his own outrage at the obscenities suffered by children at the hands of warring adults. Having written the piece, he wrote to the Baroness as a courtesy, addressing the letter to her care of the BBC London and expecting no reply. He discovered that you ought never underestimate the Baroness Cox. “Surprise, surprise, a reply arrived on House of Lords note-paper, saying how much she appreciated my letter, and wishing us every success with the performance. Unfortunately, we were never able to meet, but she was very gracious to do that.”
Read the full article on the ANAM Blog: Life at ANAM
Conducted by Stanley Dodd's, Wilfred Lehmann’s Symphonic Requiem for the Child Victims of War will be played by the ANAM Orchestra and Shane Chen in ANAM's Opening Concert The Inextinguishable on Saturday 28 February at 7pm.