First Night of the Proms: Verdi's Requiem

From the Proms

The concert given earlier this evening in London's Royal Albert Hall featured two biblically inspired works. Handel's Israel in Egypt is a vivid portrayal of the unjust imprisonment of the Jewish people described in the Book of Exodus. Alexander Goehr 's new work The Death of Moses views the Jewish prophet from the perspective of the late 20th century. In the interval, the composer, who celebrates his 60th birthday this year, talks about the land and poetry that inspired his latest piece.