We Were There tells us about the experiences and memories of ordinary people in Britain, Germany and Russia who lived through the Second World War and is designed to complement the educational DVD. Using the links you will find additional information and images about World War Two, both on this site and elsewhere.
Why Britain, Germany and Russia?
Because these were the three countries at the centre of the war in Europe. Although many other countries were involved in the war of course, Britain, Germany and Russia were in many ways a central 'triangle' in the bitter struggle to overthrow the Fascist and Nazi dictatorships threatening the world order.
Is this why the British composer, Benjamin Britten, wanted to include these three countries in his great anti-war masterpiece War Requiem?
Yes, it is. His music is a great outcry against war and hatred between nations, and he specifically wrote the solo parts for a Russian soprano, a German baritone and a British tenor. He wrote the music to mark the rebuilding of Coventry Cathedral in England, which had been destroyed by the Germans in the war. He hoped that his music would make people realise the futility and waste of war, and that it would build bridges between former enemies.
What is the connection between this DVD and Britten's War Requiem?
In 2005, three choirs from Britain (Exeter Festival Chorus), Germany (Hanauer Kantorei) and Russia (Glas Choir, Yaroslavl) joined together to commemorate the sixtieth anniversary of the ending of WWII with joint performances of Britten's War Requiem in all three countries in turn. The DVD tells the stories of ordinary people from these three countries. It shows us how the war changed people's lives, and how people coped with their situations in each country. Their stories are tragic, heroic and sometimes surprisingly funny. Their stories show us that we are all part of the same human race, and that we all suffered in the horrors of WWII. At the same time, the fact that the three performances of the War Requiem took place in 2005, with choirs of people who were formerly enemies, in countries that were formerly at war with each other, shows us, as Britten so much hoped it would, that the higher, better and brighter aspects of the human condition might, after all, prevail.
