THINGS
TO COME – The Dream of Gerontius
Elgar’s
matchless orchestration, a big choir and deeply religious subject
matter: The
Dream of Gerontius is
always
a
memorable
musical experience; and it’s one we can share in Chelmsford
Cathedral on Saturday 18 November, thanks to the Waltham Singers and
Andrew Fardell.
They’re
joined on this occasion by Ensemble OrQuesta, with
soloists Rebecca Afonwy Jones as
the Angel,
Joshua Ellicot as
Gerontius and,
as
the Priest and the Angel of the Agony,
Jeremy White.
Cardinal
Newman's poem tells of the journey of a man's soul after death -
'Gerontius' means something like ‘old man’. Elgar was given a
copy of the poem in 1889 as a wedding present; he eventually set it
to music for the 1900 Birmingham festival. His score powerfully
suggests the journey from deathbed to Judgement Seat.
The
performance begins at 7:30, and tickets can be bought at Dace’s, on
the door or via the Waltham Singers’ website
http://www.walthamsingers.org.uk/buytickets.html
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