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Elgar intended The Kingdom to be the centerpiece in a massive trilogy of oratorios. He completed the first, The Apostles, in 1903 and The Kingdom in 1906, but after further consideration of the scope that would be required by The Last Judgment, decided to abandon it. There's a fairly clearly line of demarcation that will separate those who are likely to enjoy this work from those who are not. The Kingdom should appeal to fans of the composer's and fans of late Romantic British choral anthems, but it could be a hard sell for listeners who do not fall securely in one or the other of those camps. The whole work has an aroma of Victorian-Edwardian piety that is not really in sync with the taste of most 21st century concert-goers. Elgar's orchestral writing is lovely, and the purely instrumental sections are entirely effective, but the choral and vocal writing for the most part lack distinction. While the music is pleasantly lyrical, Elgar's setting of English is not particularly felicitous and is rarely melodically memorable. This live 2009 performance is well played and sung by the Hallé Orchestra and Chorus led by Mark Elder, with soloists of variable effectiveness. Soprano Claire Rutter, mezzo-soprano Susan Bickley, and baritone Iain Paterson are mostly persuasive, but tenor John Hudson is a wobbly weak link. The sound quality is generally clear, but the soloists are not consistently prominent. Listeners who are looking to explore The Kingdom would do better with Adrian Boult's authoritative 1968 performance with the London Philharmonic Orchestra & Chorus, which is more convincingly idiomatic, features more compelling soloists and has sound that is overall warmer and more pleasant.
© TiVo
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The Kingdom, Op. 51 (Edward Elgar)
Hallé Orchestra - Mark Elder, Conductor - Sir Edward Elgar, Composer
(C) 2010 Hallé Concerts Society (P) 2010 Hallé Concerts Society
Claire Rutter, soprano (The Blessed Virgin Mary) - John Hudson, tenor (St. John) - Iain Paterson, baritone (St. Peter) - Hallé Choir - Hallé Orchestra - Mark Elder, Conductor - Sir Edward Elgar, Composer
(C) 2010 Hallé Concerts Society (P) 2010 Hallé Concerts Society
Iain Paterson, baritone (St. Peter) - Claire Rutter, soprano (The Blessed Virgin Mary) - Susan Bickley, mezzo-soprano (Mary Magdalene) - John Hudson, tenor (St. John) - Hallé Choir (The Disciples and the Holy Women) - Hallé Orchestra - Mark Elder, Conductor - Sir Edward Elgar, Composer
(C) 2010 Hallé Concerts Society (P) 2010 Hallé Concerts Society
Hallé Choir - Hallé Orchestra - Mark Elder, Conductor - Sir Edward Elgar, Composer
(C) 2010 Hallé Concerts Society (P) 2010 Hallé Concerts Society
Claire Rutter, soprano (The Blessed Virgin Mary) - Susan Bickley, mezzo-soprano (Mary Magdalene) - Hallé Choir - Hallé Orchestra - Mark Elder, Conductor - Sir Edward Elgar, Composer
(C) 2010 Hallé Concerts Society (P) 2010 Hallé Concerts Society
John Hudson, tenor (Recitative & St. John) - Iain Paterson, baritone (St. Peter) - Hallé Choir - Hallé Orchestra - Mark Elder, Conductor - Sir Edward Elgar, Composer
(C) 2010 Hallé Concerts Society (P) 2010 Hallé Concerts Society
Susan Bickley, mezzo-soprano (Récitative) - John Hudson, tenor (St. John) - Iain Paterson, baritone (St. Peter) - Hallé Choir - Hallé Orchestra - Mark Elder, Conductor - Sir Edward Elgar, Composer
(C) 2010 Hallé Concerts Society (P) 2010 Hallé Concerts Society
Iain Paterson, baritone (St. Peter) - Susan Bickley, mezzo-soprano - Hallé Choir - Hallé Orchestra - Mark Elder, Conductor - Sir Edward Elgar, Composer
(C) 2010 Hallé Concerts Society (P) 2010 Hallé Concerts Society
Iain Paterson, baritone (St. Peter) - Hallé Choir - Hallé Orchestra - Mark Elder, Conductor - Sir Edward Elgar, Composer
(C) 2010 Hallé Concerts Society (P) 2010 Hallé Concerts Society
DISC 2
Susan Bickley, mezzo-soprano (Recitative) - Iain Paterson, baritone (St. Peter) - Hallé Choir - Hallé Orchestra - Mark Elder, Conductor - Sir Edward Elgar, Composer
(C) 2010 Hallé Concerts Society (P) 2010 Hallé Concerts Society
John Hudson, tenor (St. John) - Iain Paterson, baritone (St. Peter) - Hallé Choir - Hallé Orchestra - Mark Elder, Conductor - Sir Edward Elgar, Composer
(C) 2010 Hallé Concerts Society (P) 2010 Hallé Concerts Society
Susan Bickley, mezzo-soprano (Recitative) - Hallé Orchestra - Mark Elder, Conductor - Sir Edward Elgar, Composer
(C) 2010 Hallé Concerts Society (P) 2010 Hallé Concerts Society
Claire Rutter, soprano (The Blessed Virgin Mary) - Hallé Orchestra - Mark Elder, Conductor - Sir Edward Elgar, Composer
(C) 2010 Hallé Concerts Society (P) 2010 Hallé Concerts Society
John Hudson, tenor (St. John) - Iain Paterson, baritone (St. Peter) - Hallé Choir - Hallé Orchestra - Mark Elder, Conductor - Sir Edward Elgar, Composer
(C) 2010 Hallé Concerts Society (P) 2010 Hallé Concerts Society
Iain Paterson, baritone (St. Peter) - Claire Rutter, soprano (The Blessed Virgin Mary) - Susan Bickley, mezzo-soprano (Mary Magdalene) - John Hudson, tenor (St. John) - Hallé Choir - Hallé Orchestra - Mark Elder, Conductor - Sir Edward Elgar, Composer
(C) 2010 Hallé Concerts Society (P) 2010 Hallé Concerts Society
Claire Rutter, soprano (The Blessed Virgin Mary) - Susan Bickley, mezzo-soprano (Mary Magdalene) - John Hudson, tenor (St. John) - Iain Paterson, baritone (St. Peter) - Hallé Choir - Hallé Orchestra - Mark Elder, Conductor - Sir Edward Elgar, Composer
(C) 2010 Hallé Concerts Society (P) 2010 Hallé Concerts Society
Album review
Elgar intended The Kingdom to be the centerpiece in a massive trilogy of oratorios. He completed the first, The Apostles, in 1903 and The Kingdom in 1906, but after further consideration of the scope that would be required by The Last Judgment, decided to abandon it. There's a fairly clearly line of demarcation that will separate those who are likely to enjoy this work from those who are not. The Kingdom should appeal to fans of the composer's and fans of late Romantic British choral anthems, but it could be a hard sell for listeners who do not fall securely in one or the other of those camps. The whole work has an aroma of Victorian-Edwardian piety that is not really in sync with the taste of most 21st century concert-goers. Elgar's orchestral writing is lovely, and the purely instrumental sections are entirely effective, but the choral and vocal writing for the most part lack distinction. While the music is pleasantly lyrical, Elgar's setting of English is not particularly felicitous and is rarely melodically memorable. This live 2009 performance is well played and sung by the Hallé Orchestra and Chorus led by Mark Elder, with soloists of variable effectiveness. Soprano Claire Rutter, mezzo-soprano Susan Bickley, and baritone Iain Paterson are mostly persuasive, but tenor John Hudson is a wobbly weak link. The sound quality is generally clear, but the soloists are not consistently prominent. Listeners who are looking to explore The Kingdom would do better with Adrian Boult's authoritative 1968 performance with the London Philharmonic Orchestra & Chorus, which is more convincingly idiomatic, features more compelling soloists and has sound that is overall warmer and more pleasant.
© TiVo
Details of original recording : Recorded live during the Nautilus Tour 2002 at Stadthalle Erlangen, Germany, June 15th 2002
About the album
- 2 disc(s) - 16 track(s)
- Total length: 01:34:00
- 1 Digital booklet
- Main artists: Halle
- Composer: Edward Elgar
- Label: Halle Concerts Society
- Area: Angleterre
- Genre: Classical
- Period: Post-romantic Music
(C) 2010 Hallé Concerts Society (P) 2010 Hallé Concerts Society
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