Elysian Singers
at Smith Square Hall, London
£35.00
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Edward Elgar The Dream of Gerontius: Parts 1 & 2
The Elysian Singers of London, conducted by Sam Laughton with mezzo soprano Victoria Simmonds, tenor Thomas Elwin and bass Gareth Brynmor John.
Elgar’s masterpiece in its 125th year: telling of one man’s journey from life to death.
To celebrate 25 years as musical director of the Elysian Singers, Sam Laughton has chosen Edward Elgar’s crowning achievement, his oratorio The Dream of Gerontius, a setting of a poem by Cardinal John Newman. And this concert takes place almost 125 years after the Birmingham premiere on 3 October 1900.
The work opens with an old man praying with his friends as he faces his imminent death, and thereafter traces his soul’s journey, accompanied by his guardian angel, to the moment that he faces God himself, in a shattering moment of revelation. In the famous final farewell, the angel gently guides Gerontius to the soothing lake of purgatory, to await his final journey to paradise.
An extraordinarily deeply felt and expressive work in romantic style for three soloists, large chorus and orchestra, which Elgar said was ‘the best of me’.
Victoria Simmonds
Victoria studied at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama, gaining the Countess of Munster and Sybill Tutton Awards as well as the Maggie Teyte Prize before going on to perform at many highly prestigious venues around the globe. 'The superb Victoria Simmonds' (The Times) 'Victoria Simmonds is a voluptuously feisty Rosina' (The Guardian).
See Victoria Simmonds tour dates
Thomas Elwin
London born Tenor, Thomas Elwin, is rapidly developing a career in opera houses and concert halls across Europe with audiences drawn to his warm lyric voice and engaging performances. Thomas’s recent work has included Gennaro/Lucrezia Borgia and Rodolfo/La Boheme with ETO, Oronte/Alcina with Glyndebourne, Lensky/Eugene Onegin with Opera Holland Park. A graduate of the Royal Academy of Music and the Solti Accademia Bel Canto, Thomas is a current Equilibrium Artist, a Classical Opera associate artist and was recently elected an Associate of the Royal Academy of Music.
See Thomas Elwin tour dates
Smith Square Hall
Smith Square
London
SW1P3HA
See all events at Smith Square Hall
Smith Square Hall
Smith Square
London
SW1P3HA
See all events at Smith Square Hall