Elgar: The Dream of Gerontius / Sea Pictures
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EDWARD ELGAR
Elgar: The Dream of Gerontius / Sea Pictures
Sarah Connolly, Stuart Skelton, David Soar / BBC Symphony Orchestra & Chorus, Sir Andrew Davis
[ Chandos Classics SACD / 2 Hybrid SACD ]
Release Date: Saturday 1 November 2014
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Chandos Records is delighted to present this new recording of Elgar's choral masterpiece The Dream of Gerontius and the enduringly popular song cycle Sea Pictures. The BBC Symphony Orchestra and Chorus are conducted by Sir Andrew Davis, a peerless Elgarian who this year was awarded the prestigious Elgar Society Medal in recognition of his outstanding contribution to the composer's music. In Gerontius the soloists are Stuart Skelton, David Soar and Sarah Connolly, who also sings in Sea Pictures. This recording was made in the days leading up to their triumphant live performance of Gerontius in April of 2014 in which Skelton was praised as 'the ideal tenor for the role of Gerontius', Soar described as 'an implacable, dark sounding Priest' and Connolly, 'a consummately polished Angel' (The Guardian).
Elgar's Dream of Gerontius was commissioned in 1900 for that year's Birmingham Festival.
The score was produced in a hurry but Elgar had long before known the text which the work sets, Cardinal Newman's religious poem that powerfully recounts the final dream of a dying believer and the journey of his soul through death. The performers struggled with Elgar's score at the disastrous premier but this did nothing to stop the immediate popularity of The Dream of Gerontius. It is recognised today by many as the greatest choral work by any English composer.
Written not long before Gerontius, Sea Pictures sets a collection of poetry by different authors all on a single theme. Inspired by his love of nature, Elgar's songs explore the emotional resonances of the sea, from serene still waters to a mighty ocean storm.
'This Dream of Gerontius has all the right ingredients: a superlative trio of soloists, orchestral playing and choral singing of the highest calibre, an expert Elgarian at the helm, and excellent surround sound. It's an overwhelming performance; Elgar's comment that Gerontius 'is the best of me' has never seemed more apt.' BBC Music Magazine Awards 2015 WINNER - Choral
"The Dream of Gerontius gets off to the best possible start with an excellent account of the Prelude. It's evident that Davis has a deep-rooted understanding of the work just from hearing the way he shapes this marvellous exposition of the key themes. The other thing that's evident is that the refulgent Chandos recording is going to be a real asset.The performance of Gerontius - and that of Sea Pictures - has been captured in outstanding sound by the Chandos team. I listened to the SACD layer and found it splendid. It's a typically refulgent, full-blooded Chandos recording but, as so often with this company, one that reports the soft passages equally successfully and which conveys a great amount of detail as well as a thrilling big picture to the listener. I don't think I've heard The Dream of Gerontius in better sound. A notable addition to the Gerontius discography which captures on disc at last Sarah Connolly's portrayal of The Angel." (MusicWeb Recording of the Month Oct 2014)
"Perfect Gerontius tenors are rare. Philip Langridge, who recorded it with Andrew Davis in 1997, was the last. Stuart Skelton, so different in voice colour, fuller and more heroic but similarly human, modest and touching, is every bit as brilliant... A disc of the year." (Observer)
"[Davis's] patient and scrupulously observant conception of the whole work evinces a selfless authority, wisdom and instinctive ebb and flow...Skelton's stamina, dramatic range and ringing, Vickers-like tone are a tremendous asset...Soar, too, sings with lofty projection and unstinting eloquence...Arguably best of all, though, is Sarah Connolly, who brings a deeply affecting radiance, sense of wonder and intelligence to everything" (Gramophone Magazine Award WINNER 2015 - Choral)
