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Edward Elgar's giant cantata (the composer rejected the term oratorio) The Dream of Gerontius, Op. 38, which appeared in 1900, has always been a popular work among British choirs and traditionally minded audiences. Outside of Britain its heavy Cardinal Newman tale of a soul going through divine judgment, redolent of Catholic theological detail (even British Anglicans demanded revisions), and massive orchestration have proven less appealing. Yet the work hangs on, for there's a certain fascination in seeing how wholeheartedly Elgar accepted the influence of Wagner, especially that of Parsifal. This is as Germanic as British music gets. What's required to bring it off is strong soloists on one hand and a conductor who keeps it all from slipping into murk on the other. This handsome Chandos release succeeds on both counts, with a very strong Wagnerian tenor, Stuart Skelton, in the role of Gerontius, a uniformly good supporting cast, and classically clear work in the choruses from the BBC Symphony Chorus. The text is included, but listeners could get away without using it in many sections. The Angel, contralto Sarah Connolly, is again a pure Wagnerian, and introducing the program with the five Sea Pictures, Op. 37, is a bonus here, as is the engineering work of Chandos in the relatively uncommon (except to pro wrestling devotees) venue of Fairfield Halls, Croydon. Recommended if The Dream of Gerontius rings your bell.
© TiVo
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Sea Pictures, Op. 37 (Edward Elgar)
Sarah Connolly, Performer - BBC Symphony Orchestra, Orchestra - Andrew Davis, Conductor - Edward Elgar, Composer - Elizabeth Barrett Browning, Lyricist - Richard Garnett, Lyricist - Caroline Alice Roberts Elgar, Lyricist - Adam Lindsay Gordon, Lyricist - Roden Berkeley Wriothesley Noel, Lyricist
(C) 2014 Chandos (P) 2014 Chandos
Sarah Connolly, Performer - BBC Symphony Orchestra, Orchestra - Andrew Davis, Conductor - Edward Elgar, Composer - Elizabeth Barrett Browning, Lyricist - Richard Garnett, Lyricist - Caroline Alice Roberts Elgar, Lyricist - Adam Lindsay Gordon, Lyricist - Roden Berkeley Wriothesley Noel, Lyricist
(C) 2014 Chandos (P) 2014 Chandos
Sarah Connolly, Performer - BBC Symphony Orchestra, Orchestra - Andrew Davis, Conductor - Edward Elgar, Composer - Elizabeth Barrett Browning, Lyricist - Richard Garnett, Lyricist - Caroline Alice Roberts Elgar, Lyricist - Adam Lindsay Gordon, Lyricist - Roden Berkeley Wriothesley Noel, Lyricist
(C) 2014 Chandos (P) 2014 Chandos
Sarah Connolly, Performer - BBC Symphony Orchestra, Orchestra - Andrew Davis, Conductor - Edward Elgar, Composer - Elizabeth Barrett Browning, Lyricist - Richard Garnett, Lyricist - Caroline Alice Roberts Elgar, Lyricist - Adam Lindsay Gordon, Lyricist - Roden Berkeley Wriothesley Noel, Lyricist
(C) 2014 Chandos (P) 2014 Chandos
Sarah Connolly, Performer - BBC Symphony Orchestra, Orchestra - Andrew Davis, Conductor - Edward Elgar, Composer - Elizabeth Barrett Browning, Lyricist - Richard Garnett, Lyricist - Caroline Alice Roberts Elgar, Lyricist - Adam Lindsay Gordon, Lyricist - Roden Berkeley Wriothesley Noel, Lyricist
(C) 2014 Chandos (P) 2014 Chandos
The Dream of Gerontius, Op. 38, Pt. I (Edward Elgar)
BBC Symphony Orchestra, Orchestra - Andrew Davis, Conductor - Edward Elgar, Composer - John Henry Newman, Lyricist
(C) 2014 Chandos (P) 2014 Chandos
Stuart Skelton, Performer - BBC Symphony Orchestra, Orchestra - Andrew Davis, Conductor - Edward Elgar, Composer - John Henry Newman, Lyricist
(C) 2014 Chandos (P) 2014 Chandos
BBC Symphony Chorus, Choir - BBC Symphony Orchestra, Orchestra - Andrew Davis, Conductor - Edward Elgar, Composer - John Henry Newman, Lyricist
(C) 2014 Chandos (P) 2014 Chandos
Stuart Skelton, Performer - BBC Symphony Orchestra, Orchestra - Andrew Davis, Conductor - Edward Elgar, Composer - John Henry Newman, Lyricist
(C) 2014 Chandos (P) 2014 Chandos
BBC Symphony Chorus, Choir - BBC Symphony Orchestra, Orchestra - Andrew Davis, Conductor - Edward Elgar, Composer - John Henry Newman, Lyricist
(C) 2014 Chandos (P) 2014 Chandos
Stuart Skelton, Performer - BBC Symphony Orchestra, Orchestra - Andrew Davis, Conductor - Edward Elgar, Composer - John Henry Newman, Lyricist
(C) 2014 Chandos (P) 2014 Chandos
Stuart Skelton, Performer - BBC Symphony Orchestra, Orchestra - Andrew Davis, Conductor - Edward Elgar, Composer - John Henry Newman, Lyricist
(C) 2014 Chandos (P) 2014 Chandos
BBC Symphony Chorus, Choir - BBC Symphony Orchestra, Orchestra - Andrew Davis, Conductor - Edward Elgar, Composer - John Henry Newman, Lyricist
(C) 2014 Chandos (P) 2014 Chandos
Stuart Skelton, Performer - BBC Symphony Orchestra, Orchestra - Andrew Davis, Conductor - Edward Elgar, Composer - John Henry Newman, Lyricist
(C) 2014 Chandos (P) 2014 Chandos
David Soar, Performer - BBC Symphony Orchestra, Orchestra - Andrew Davis, Conductor - Edward Elgar, Composer - John Henry Newman, Lyricist
(C) 2014 Chandos (P) 2014 Chandos
BBC Symphony Chorus, Choir - BBC Symphony Orchestra, Orchestra - Andrew Davis, Conductor - Edward Elgar, Composer - John Henry Newman, Lyricist
(C) 2014 Chandos (P) 2014 Chandos
DISC 2
The Dream of Gerontius, Op. 38, Pt. II (Edward Elgar)
Stuart Skelton, Performer - BBC Symphony Orchestra, Orchestra - Andrew Davis, Conductor - Edward Elgar, Composer - John Henry Newman, Lyricist
(C) 2014 Chandos (P) 2014 Chandos
Sarah Connolly, Performer - Stuart Skelton, Performer - BBC Symphony Orchestra, Orchestra - Andrew Davis, Conductor - Edward Elgar, Composer - John Henry Newman, Lyricist
(C) 2014 Chandos (P) 2014 Chandos
Stuart Skelton, Performer - BBC Symphony Orchestra, Orchestra - Andrew Davis, Conductor - Edward Elgar, Composer - John Henry Newman, Lyricist
(C) 2014 Chandos (P) 2014 Chandos
Stuart Skelton, Performer - BBC Symphony Orchestra, Orchestra - Andrew Davis, Conductor - Edward Elgar, Composer - John Henry Newman, Lyricist
(C) 2014 Chandos (P) 2014 Chandos
Stuart Skelton, Performer - BBC Symphony Orchestra, Orchestra - Andrew Davis, Conductor - Edward Elgar, Composer - John Henry Newman, Lyricist
(C) 2014 Chandos (P) 2014 Chandos
BBC Symphony Chorus, Choir - BBC Symphony Orchestra, Orchestra - Andrew Davis, Conductor - Edward Elgar, Composer - John Henry Newman, Lyricist
(C) 2014 Chandos (P) 2014 Chandos
BBC Symphony Chorus, Choir - BBC Symphony Orchestra, Orchestra - Andrew Davis, Conductor - Edward Elgar, Composer - John Henry Newman, Lyricist
(C) 2014 Chandos (P) 2014 Chandos
Sarah Connolly, Performer - Stuart Skelton, Performer - BBC Symphony Orchestra, Orchestra - Andrew Davis, Conductor - Edward Elgar, Composer - John Henry Newman, Lyricist
(C) 2014 Chandos (P) 2014 Chandos
Sarah Connolly, Performer - BBC Symphony Chorus, Choir - BBC Symphony Orchestra, Orchestra - Andrew Davis, Conductor - Edward Elgar, Composer - John Henry Newman, Lyricist
(C) 2014 Chandos (P) 2014 Chandos
BBC Symphony Chorus, Choir - BBC Symphony Orchestra, Orchestra - Andrew Davis, Conductor - Edward Elgar, Composer - John Henry Newman, Lyricist
(C) 2014 Chandos (P) 2014 Chandos
Stuart Skelton, Performer - BBC Symphony Orchestra, Orchestra - Andrew Davis, Conductor - Edward Elgar, Composer - John Henry Newman, Lyricist
(C) 2014 Chandos (P) 2014 Chandos
BBC Symphony Chorus, Choir - BBC Symphony Orchestra, Orchestra - Andrew Davis, Conductor - Edward Elgar, Composer - John Henry Newman, Lyricist
(C) 2014 Chandos (P) 2014 Chandos
Sarah Connolly, Performer - Stuart Skelton, Performer - BBC Symphony Orchestra, Orchestra - Andrew Davis, Conductor - Edward Elgar, Composer - John Henry Newman, Lyricist
(C) 2014 Chandos (P) 2014 Chandos
Sarah Connolly, Performer - BBC Symphony Orchestra, Orchestra - Andrew Davis, Conductor - Edward Elgar, Composer - John Henry Newman, Lyricist
(C) 2014 Chandos (P) 2014 Chandos
Stuart Skelton, Performer - BBC Symphony Chorus, Choir - BBC Symphony Orchestra, Orchestra - Andrew Davis, Conductor - Edward Elgar, Composer - John Henry Newman, Lyricist
(C) 2014 Chandos (P) 2014 Chandos
Sarah Connolly, Performer - BBC Symphony Orchestra, Orchestra - Andrew Davis, Conductor - Edward Elgar, Composer - John Henry Newman, Lyricist
(C) 2014 Chandos (P) 2014 Chandos
Stuart Skelton, Performer - BBC Symphony Orchestra, Orchestra - Andrew Davis, Conductor - Edward Elgar, Composer - John Henry Newman, Lyricist
(C) 2014 Chandos (P) 2014 Chandos
BBC Symphony Chorus, Choir - BBC Symphony Orchestra, Orchestra - Andrew Davis, Conductor - Edward Elgar, Composer - John Henry Newman, Lyricist
(C) 2014 Chandos (P) 2014 Chandos
Sarah Connolly, Performer - BBC Symphony Chorus, Choir - BBC Symphony Orchestra, Orchestra - Andrew Davis, Conductor - Edward Elgar, Composer - John Henry Newman, Lyricist
(C) 2014 Chandos (P) 2014 Chandos
BBC Symphony Orchestra, Orchestra - Andrew Davis, Conductor - Edward Elgar, Composer - John Henry Newman, Lyricist
(C) 2014 Chandos (P) 2014 Chandos
Album review
Edward Elgar's giant cantata (the composer rejected the term oratorio) The Dream of Gerontius, Op. 38, which appeared in 1900, has always been a popular work among British choirs and traditionally minded audiences. Outside of Britain its heavy Cardinal Newman tale of a soul going through divine judgment, redolent of Catholic theological detail (even British Anglicans demanded revisions), and massive orchestration have proven less appealing. Yet the work hangs on, for there's a certain fascination in seeing how wholeheartedly Elgar accepted the influence of Wagner, especially that of Parsifal. This is as Germanic as British music gets. What's required to bring it off is strong soloists on one hand and a conductor who keeps it all from slipping into murk on the other. This handsome Chandos release succeeds on both counts, with a very strong Wagnerian tenor, Stuart Skelton, in the role of Gerontius, a uniformly good supporting cast, and classically clear work in the choruses from the BBC Symphony Chorus. The text is included, but listeners could get away without using it in many sections. The Angel, contralto Sarah Connolly, is again a pure Wagnerian, and introducing the program with the five Sea Pictures, Op. 37, is a bonus here, as is the engineering work of Chandos in the relatively uncommon (except to pro wrestling devotees) venue of Fairfield Halls, Croydon. Recommended if The Dream of Gerontius rings your bell.
© TiVo
About the album
- 2 disc(s) - 36 track(s)
- Total length: 02:04:24
- 1 Digital booklet
- Main artists: Sarah Connolly Stuart Skelton BBC Symphony Chorus David Soar BBC Symphony Orchestra Andrew Davis
- Composer: Edward Elgar
- Label: Chandos
- Genre: Classical Vocal Music (Secular and Sacred)
(C) 2014 Chandos (P) 2014 Chandos
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