A MAJOR concert will take place in Portsmouth Guildhall later this month to mark the 60th anniversary of the end of the Second World War.

Choirs from Portsmouth and Southampton will be joined by the south's leading orchestra, the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, and by three international soloists on June 26 to perform Benjamin Britten's War Requiem.

War Requiem is a modern masterpiece and one of the most enduring choral works of the last century.

It was first performed in May 1962, in the rebuilt Coventry Cathedral - the old cathedral had been virtually destroyed during the Blitz.

The work was Britten's plea for reconciliation after the horrors of the Second World War and at a time of increasing Cold War tensions.

Britten used the text of the traditional Latin mass for the dead, alongside the bitter First World War poetry of Wilfred Owen.

The work is rarely performed as it requires an exceptionally large orchestra and chorus, which for this concert will be formed by the Southampton Philharmonic Choir, Portsmouth Festival Choir, Portsmouth Youth Choir and the students of Southampton University Phil.

The soloists will be Victoria Savchuk (soprano), Justin Lavender (tenor), with baritone to be confirmed.

David Gibson, musical director of the Southampton Philharmonic Choir, will be conducting the concert.

The guests at this important regional event will include the mayors of Portsmouth and Southampton, and the Lord Lieutenant of Hampshire.

The concert is presented in association with the Royal British Legion and will begin with a reading by Bob Knight, chairman of the Hampshire branch of the legion, followed by a two-minute silence.

The choirs have received an award of £4,475 from the National Lottery's Awards for All programme towards the costs of the concert.

Hampshire County Council has contributed £500 under its Two for One Scheme to encourage business sponsorship of the arts, matching sponsorship from Acoustic Design Services Ltd. The concert is also sponsored by the Britten-Pears Foundation.

Tickets are available, costing from £8. To book or to get more information, call the box office on 023 9282 4355.