Britten's War Requiem choristers reunited

The choristers who sung on the legendary 1963 recording of Britten's War Requiem have been reunited, as part of celebrations to mark the release of a newly remastered version of the Decca hit.

Decca Records instigated the search for the singers from Highgate Boys School Choir with an advert in the Hampstead & Highgate Express, North London's local paper, earlier this year. Several former choir members responded and last week came together to hear the restored recording, which features Galina Vishnevskaya, Peter Pears, the London Symphony Orchestra and the Melos Ensemble, conducted by Britten. 

In the can: Musicians filled Kingsway Hall for the 1963 recording

The War Requiem, commissioned to mark the consecration of Coventry Cathedral in 1962, weaves poems by Wilfred Owen into the Latin mass, and has gone to inspire generations of composers, including Karl Jenkins, whose own armistice mass The Armed Man features words by Kipling, Tennyson and others. It was also highly influential for another chorister: John Rutter was among the Highgate School singers who featured on the recording and attended the Soho reunion as guest of honour. 

Recorded in January 1963 under the auspices of producer John Culshaw, the War Requiem sold 200,000 copies within months of its release, an unheard-of number for a piece of contemporary classical music at that time. It continues to have cultural impact, and featured in this year's proms, performed once again by London Symphony Orchestra with Antonio Pappano.

Star turn: John Rutter was among the singers who featured on the original recording

Unbeknown to the composer, the soloists and the orchestra, Culshaw kept the microphones open and the tapes running in both the hall and the control room during rehearsals. The additional material was presented to Britten on his 50th birthday – perhaps understandably, this invasion of privacy was not well received. However, decades on, the recordings are considered vital in understanding how the composer worked, and the excerpts have been included on a new LP. 'Boys I know it's first thing in the morning but please don't make it sound like it is,' Britten advises the singers, 'Don't make it sound nice. It's horrid, it's modern music'.