Artists
Geraint Bowen – conductor
Rebecca Hardwick – soprano
Dame Sarah Connolly – mezzo soprano
Nicky Spence – tenor
Neal Davies – bass
Three Choirs Festival Chorus
Programme
Bach arr. Elgar Fantasia and Fugue in C minor
Elgar The Dream of Gerontius
Elgar’s incredible The Dream of Gerontius, considered by many to be his greatest work, ends our festival week. A setting of a poem by John Henry Newman, the work tells the story of a soul’s journey through death, glimpsing God in judgement and settling into Purgatory, with a final blessing and promise of a re-awakening to glory. Deeply felt and highly moving, Elgar’s beautiful music is full of love, compassion and serenity. Of the piece, he wrote: ʻThis is the best of me … this I saw and knew … this is worth your memoryʼ.
Concert supported by the Perry Family Trust
The Dream of Gerontius supported in memory of Terry Moore who loved the festival