This is barenboims first recording of elgars greatest choral masterpiece. Edward elgar the dream of gerontius part 2 youtube. Elgar was given a copy of the poem in 1889 as a wedding present. Elgar disapproved of the use of the term oratorio for the work and the term occurs nowhere in the score, though. The dream of gerontius cardinal john henry newman, maurice. And once he has died, the story follows his soul through an encounter with angels and demons as he approaches the judgment of god. Follow the text of edward elgar s the dream of gerontius, to text from the poem by cardinal john henry newman. Jan 14, 2012 as the bbc once said in the introduction to a concert, edward elgars oratorio the dream of gerontius is seen in great britain as a national monument. Considered by many the greatest oratorio by an englishman as well as the most beautiful oratorio of the 20th century, the dream of gerontius sets to music a mystical poem by the catholic theologian and cardinal john henry newman about death and final judgment.
While the work enjoys nearly the same esteem as handels messiah and mendelssohns elijah in its native land, almost every performance abroad is seen as a rediscovery. It is an oratorio, although elgar did not like it being called an oratorio, but this is how it is usually described. Edward elgar disapproved of the term oratorio for the dream of gerontius, op. The dream of gerontius victorian england loved its monster choral works. In its first part, a dying man experiences his very last moments. Daniel barenboim and the staatskapelle berlin continue their exploration of the music of edward elgar with a new recording of the dream of gerontius, available on july 7, 2017.
The dream of gerontius edward elgar 18571934 the dream of gerontius, poem by cardinal newman and set to music for mezzo soprano, tenor, and bass solos, chorus and orchestra, was first performed at the birmingham england festival of 1900. So it would have been fitting if the three arguably greatest soloists of their generation, mezzosoprano janet baker, tenor peter pears and bassbaritone john. It is a uniquely english work for all its heavily roman catholic origins, sources, imagery and purpose. In 1900 elgar was asked to write a piece for the birmingham triennial music festival. I began listening to edward elgar s dream of gerontius through the fine adrian boult recording done with nicolai gedda and for a while was unsure whether i liked the work, although i kept listening to it, which is always a good sign. The 20th centurys most beautiful oratorio was written right at the beginning technically, just a little before it. It is, quite simply, one of the greatest spiritual dramas ever written. Text by john henry newman wesley rogers, tenor gerontius soul of gerontius kendall gladen, mezzosoprano angel kevin deas, bass. The theme of the poem is the dream of the dying gerontius of his souls passage to the unseen world. It is based on the epic poem, the dream of gerontius by john henry newman written in 1865. Am and accompanied by the scm choirs and the sydney university musical society perform sir edward elgars the dream of geronitus. Oct 01, 2007 the dream of gerontius, first published in 1865, is cardinal newmans epic poem describing the descent of gerontius, an everyman character, into death and purgatory. It wolfed them down at seemingly endless yearlong seasons of.
Sir edward elgar, huddersfield choral society, royal liverpool philharmonic orchestra, sir malcolm sargent. When simon peter saw him, he fell at the knees of jesus, saying, leave me, lord. The dream of gerontius is a large musical work for choir, three solo singers and orchestra composed by edward elgar. In sir edward elgar another major work, the oratorio the dream of gerontius, which many consider his masterpiece. Sir andrew davis tells the story of the dream of gerontius duration. The dream of gerontius by sir edward elgar, sir john. Among his bestknown compositions are orchestral works including the enigma variations, the pomp and circumstance marches, concertos for violin and cello, and two symphonies. Elgar completed his masterpiece, the dream of gerontius, in 1900 and, despite some resistance from the anglican church around the catholic dogma of some parts of cardinal newmans text, elgars extraordinary work eventually came to be regarded as the greatest oratorio. Paul groves sings the part of gerontius more convincingly than any other tenor today, his control and range of. Gordons notes on the text were retrieved from his belongings after his demise and became a popular victorian publication. But i still await a digital recording that surpasses the innermost abandonment of the barbirolli richard lewis, janet baker and sargent richard lewis, marjorie thomas recordingsthe finest to have yet met the challenge in this.
Listen barenboims new recording of elgars epic choral masterpiece is a significant addition to his. Sir edward elgar 18571934 the dream of gerontius, op. It is usually thought of as the best choral work elgar ever wrote. In 2007, emi finally resolved the decadesold debate among collectors as to which is the better recording of elgars oratorio the dream of gerontius john barbirollis with the halle orchestra from 1964 or adrian boults with the new philharmonia from 1975. Edward elgars the dream of gerontius is frequently regarded as his masterpiecea towering oratorio noted for its complex score and profound religious message. Our lord told them to let down their nets, and this they did. Other articles where the dream of gerontius is discussed. For it is safe, consumed, yet quickened by the glance of god. The dream of gerontius simple english wikipedia, the. The dream of gerontius the complete text classic fm. Apr 11, 2017 elgars the dream of gerontius rising from the ashes posted on april 11, 2017 by scott chamberlain edward elgars the dream of gerontius is frequently regarded as his masterpiecea towering oratorio noted for its complex score and profound religious message. But, while he undoubtedly toyed with the idea of setting it to music intermittently over the intervening period, the decision to do so for the 1900 birmingham festival appears to have been taken somewhat at the. Edward elgar the dream of gerontius 2017 written by bluesever thursday, 12 october 2017 14. Daniel barenboims the dream of gerontius is a significant addition to his criticallyacclaimed elgar series with staatskapelle berlin.
It wolfed them down at seemingly endless yearlong seasons of festivals up and down the country. The dream of gerontius sir edward elgar 18571934 the apostles peter, james and john, had been fishing all night, and they had caught nothing. Edward elgars the dream of gerontius digital concert hall. Cardinal newmans words are beyond atrocious as poetry, and i find their sadomasochistic doctrinal underpinning sickening o happy, suffering soul. Barenboim and the orchestra are joined by singers catherine wynrogers, andrew staples, and thomas hampson as well as the staatsopernchor berlin and the rias kammerchor. A guide to why elgars the dream of gerontius is the most epic.
Stream adfree with amazon music unlimited on mobile, desktop, and. The dream of gerontius simple english wikipedia, the free. Edward elgars the dream of gerontius is a splendid oratorio for mezzosoprano, tenor and bass with chorus and orchestra. The dream of gerontius by elgar, sir edward, hill, david, bournemouth symphony chorus, waynflete singers, fryer, sarah, kendall, william, best, matthew from amazons classical music store. It had been translated into french and german and was reprinted during newmans lifetime.
Everyone who loves elgar acclaims the dream of gerontius as a masterpiece. Orchestra sinfonica e coro di roma della rai, barbirolli. Elgar s the dream of gerontius is a cornerstone of the great english choral romantic period repertoire it was completed in 1900. The dream of gerontius thomas hampson, catherine wyn. Elgar the dream of gerontius, part 2 excerpt by scruttock5. The dream of gerontius sir edward elgar 18571934 cardinal newmans poem the dream of gerontius was a wellknown and muchloved work in its own right by the time elgar came to set it to music in 1900.
Sir edward elgar, huddersfield choral society, royal liverpool philharmonic orchestra, sir malcolm sargent the dream of gerontius, op. The first symphony, in particular, burns under a surface sheen, and the dream of gerontius is intensely played and firmly sung. In one scene, a ghostly elgar whispers the secret of the enigma tune to the youthful central character, with an injunction not to reveal it. It did this by releasing barbirollis gerontius coupled with boults 1966 recording of elgars the music makers, which had previously. These performances of edward elgars the dream of gerontius are. It relates the journey of a pious mans soul from his deathbed to his judgment before god and settling into purgatory. In this reading by daniel barenboim, the staatskapelle berlin, a pair of massed top german choirs, and fine soloists, elgars caution seems to be borne out. Apr 22, 2018 elgar dream of gerontius handley after hunting on the internet, i still cannot find a full set for sale, so if anyone knows where to get one, please provide the link. The dream of gerontius, an album by edward elgar, halle, sir mark elder on spotify we and our partners use cookies to personalize your experience, to show you ads based on your interests, and for measurement and analytics purposes.
As the bbc once said in the introduction to a concert, edward elgars oratorio the dream of gerontius is seen in great britain as a national monument. In the autograph score, elgar wrote the work represented the best of me, and countless listeners have agreed with him. The dream of gerontiussea pictures choir orchestral. I began listening to edward elgars dream of gerontius through the fine adrian boult recording done with nicolai gedda and for a while was unsure whether i liked the work, although i kept listening to it, which is. And it is to such that the berliner philharmoniker and conductor. In one sense i hope never to hear my ideal gerontius, because that could be the day that it loses its mystery for me. Elgars the dream of gerontius rising from the ashes. Edward elgar s the dream of gerontius is a splendid oratorio for mezzosoprano, tenor and bass with chorus and orchestra. Oh just life, death and the meaning of life the massive piece for chorus and orchestra is based on a victorian poem by cardinal john henry. Daniel barenboim and the staatskapelle berlin continue their exploration of the music of edward elgar with a new recording of the dream of gerontius, available on july 7, 2017 barenboim and the orchestra are joined by singers catherine wynrogers, andrew staples, and thomas hampson as well as the staatsopernchor berlin and the rias kammerchor. The dream of gerontius by sir edward elgar, david hill, bournemouth symphony chorus, waynflete singers, sarah. Archipel arpcd 0403 2 elgar t he obvious reason for this reissue of this 1957 radio italiana broadcast is the presence of the l. Elgars the dream of gerontius is a cornerstone of the great english choral romantic period repertoire it was completed in 1900. Elgar had planned this piece since his thirties, and possessed a copy of cardinal newmans original poem with annotations by general gordon of khartoum.
Another one i do not have is probably the finest of all the 1964 barbirolli with janet baker and richard lewis. Get youtube premium get youtube tv best of youtube music sports gaming. Based on a poem by john henry cardinal newman, it dispensed with the traditional admixture of recitatives, arias, and choruses, using instead a continuous musical texture as in the musical dramas of richard wagner. I began listening to edward elgars dream of gerontius through the fine adrian boult recording done with nicolai gedda and for a while was unsure whether i liked the work, although i kept listening to it, which is always a good sign. The dream of gerontius, first published in 1865, is cardinal newmans epic poem describing the descent of gerontius, an everyman character, into death and purgatory. The dream of gerontius, edward elgars 1900 work for singers and orchestra, had to wait. Elgar dream of gerontius handley after hunting on the internet, i still cannot find a full set for sale, so if anyone knows where to get one, please provide the link. Paul groves sings the part of gerontius more convincingly than any other tenor today, his control and range of colour and dynamic fitting elgars vocal lines. Cardinal newmans poem tells of the journey of a mans soul after death gerontius may be translated roughly as old man. And because he was the sort of person who enjoyed a.
Elgar the dream of gerontius by scoresondemand issuu. In this reading by daniel barenboim, the staatskapelle berlin, a pair of massed top german choirs, and fine soloists, elgar s caution seems to be borne out. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. The dream of gerontius the complete text follow the text of edward elgars the dream of gerontius, to text from the poem by cardinal john henry newman. The dream of gerontius barbirolli janet baker, richard lewis, kim borg duration. The poem opens with the old mans realization that his time has come.