Elgar: The Dream of Gerontius at Salisbury Cathedral, Salisbury on Saturday 2nd April 2022

Please note: This concert is in the past and has already taken place.

Elgar: The Dream of Gerontius

Part of the Salisbury Musical Society 2021-2022 Season

Add to my Calendar 02-04-2022 19:30 02-04-2022 21:30 36 Elgar: The Dream of Gerontius The dramatic poem The Dream of Gerontius tells of a soul leaving the body at the point of death and journeying to come face to face with God 'for one moment'.  The poem had a wide appeal to religious minds as soon as it was published.  General Gordon had one sent to him in Khartoum in 1884; the markings and underlinings he made in this were copied into a volume which was  presented to the organist of St George's Church, Worcester, on his wedding day on May 8th 1889.  The organist was Edward Elgar. In November 1898 Elgar was commissioned to compose a choral work for the Birmingham Triennial Festival in 1900 and chose to set Newman's poem.  Dorabella, one of the 'Friends Pictured Within' that make up the Enigma Variations of 1898, told Elgar that one section "gives me the impression of great doors opening and shutting", to which Elgar replied "Does it?  That's exactly what I mean."   By April 1900 Elgar was writing to his friend Jaeger, another of the Enigma Variations (Nimrod), expressing concern that the music might not sustain interest and asking Jaeger for his honest opinion, which was duly given in a letter of May 22nd: "Your wonderful music is inexpressibly and most wonderfully elevating, 'aloof', mystic and heart-moving, as by the force of a great compassion." The Dream of Gerontius was performed in Birmingham on October 3rd 1900, conducted by Hans Richter.  It is generally considered to have been one of the most notoriously bad first performances in the history of English music.  A performance in Düssseldorf in May 1902, however, confirmed its success and a second complete British performance followed in Worcester in the summer – the future of this great masterpiece was assured. Salisbury Cathedral, Salisbury DD/MM/YYYY

Details

Salisbury Cathedral
33 The Close
Salisbury
Wiltshire
SP1 2EJ
England

Saturday 2nd April 2022
7:30 PM

Programme

Edward Elgar – The Dream of Gerontius, Op.38

Performers

David Halls – Conductor
Catherine Carby – mezzo-soprano
Paul Nilon – tenor
Jonathan Lemalu – Bass

Salisbury Musical Society
Invited Orchestra

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Programme Note

The dramatic poem The Dream of Gerontius tells of a soul leaving the body at the point of death and journeying to come face to face with God 'for one moment'. The poem had a wide appeal to religious minds as soon as it was published. General Gordon had one sent to him in Khartoum in 1884; the markings and underlinings he made in this were copied into a volume which was presented to the organist of St George's Church, Worcester, on his wedding day on May 8th 1889. The organist was Edward Elgar.

In November 1898 Elgar was commissioned to compose a choral work for the Birmingham Triennial Festival in 1900 and chose to set Newman's poem. Dorabella, one of the 'Friends Pictured Within' that make up the Enigma Variations of 1898, told Elgar that one section "gives me the impression of great doors opening and shutting", to which Elgar replied "Does it? That's exactly what I mean."

By April 1900 Elgar was writing to his friend Jaeger, another of the Enigma Variations (Nimrod), expressing concern that the music might not sustain interest and asking Jaeger for his honest opinion, which was duly given in a letter of May 22nd: "Your wonderful music is inexpressibly and most wonderfully elevating, 'aloof', mystic and heart-moving, as by the force of a great compassion."

The Dream of Gerontius was performed in Birmingham on October 3rd 1900, conducted by Hans Richter. It is generally considered to have been one of the most notoriously bad first performances in the history of English music. A performance in Düssseldorf in May 1902, however, confirmed its success and a second complete British performance followed in Worcester in the summer – the future of this great masterpiece was assured.

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