Everyman's Elgar: The Dream of Gerontius at St John's Smith Square

By Ninfea Cruttwell-Reade, 15 October 2012

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Reviewed at Smith Square Hall, London on 13 October 2012

Elgar, The Dream of Gerontius, Oratorio for soloists chorus and orchestra, Op.38

Members of the Philharmonia Orchestra

Members of London Music Colleges

Adrian Partington, Conductor

Andrew Goodwin, Gerontius

Oliver Dunn, Priest / Angel Of The Agony

Kitty Whately, Angel

A slice of heaven from Howells and Bliss at the Three Choirs Festival

David Truslove, 30th July

A revelatory performance of Herbert Hoewlls' Hymnus Paradisi at the Three Choirs Festival in Hereford Cathedral.

****1

A tribute to Holst at Gloucester Cathedral

David Truslove, 12th July

An eclectic evening of vividly communicative music-making in Gloucester Cathedral, superbly directed by Adrian Partington.

****1

Preaching to the converted: The Apostles at the Three Choirs

Simon Cummings, 29th July

Adrian Partington and the Philharmonia give an impersonal, soporific rendition of Elgar's The Apostles at Gloucester Cathedral.

**111

A conflicted evening at the Three Choirs Festival

Simon Cummings, 29th July

Elizabeth Watts gives an unforgettably powerful performance of Finzi’s Dies Natalis in an otherwise problematic concert, marred by Adrian Partington’s uncertain approach.

***11

Grief and nostalgia trump a rarity at Three Choirs Festival

Simon Cummings, 31st July

Cecil Armstrong Gibbs’ largely forgotten Symphony no. 2, "Odysseus" proves exhausting, while works by Ireland and Howells tap into rich veins of mythical wistfulness and excruciating pain.

****1

Contrasting modes of optimism explored at the Three Choirs Festival

Simon Cummings, 3rd August

Hereford Cathedral experiences a mix of sacred and secular explorations of melancholy and triumph, from Stravinsky, Walton, Ravel and Lili Boulanger.

*****

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Ninfea Cruttwell-Reade

Ninfea is a graduate of Magdalen College, Oxford, and is now completing an MMus degree at the Royal Academy of Music. She works as both a cellist and a composer and is committed to the performance of new works. Her website is here.