Factbites
 Where results make sense
About us   |   Why use us?   |   Reviews   |   PR   |   Contact us  

Topic: The Dream of Gerontius


Related Topics

In the News (Thu 3 Dec 09)

  
 [No title]
Gerontius is accompanied in his journey to the judgment by his Guardian Angel, always by his side on earth but now made manifest and accompanied by music.
The Guardian Angel is Gerontius' co-protagonist, and their relationship must be understood within the larger context of the doctrine of the communion of the saints which is, in fact, the infrastructure of The Dream.
The mutual charity of the members of the Church in her three dimensions _ the Church Militant on earth, the Church Suffering in purgatory, and the Church Triumphant in heaven _ is central to both the plot and the theme.
www.ewtn.com /library/HUMANITY/FR93205.TXT   (2431 words)

  
 Amazon.ca: Dream Of Gerontius: Music: Edward Elgar,Sir Adrian Boult,London Philharmonic Orchestra,New Philharmonia ...   (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-11-06)
Dream of Gerontius, The for vocal soloists, chorus, & orchestra, Op.
Elgar's Dream of Gerontius is, in effect, a sung tone poem and resides at the core of English choral music; it is the supreme achievement among Elgar's large-scale works.
Gerontius is a wonderful piece, and this is the magical, historic performance that everyone hoped it would be.
www.amazon.ca /Dream-Gerontius-Sir-Adrian-Boult/dp/B00000GCAV   (1326 words)

  
 Classical Net Article - Elgar - The Dream of Gerontius (Concert Review)
To mark the latter and to make a nod to the former tonight on BBC TV and Radio we were treated to a live broadcast of a performance of Elgar's The Dream of Gerontius with Andrew Davis conducting the BBC Chorus and Symphony Orchestra with Phillip Langridge, Cathrine Wyn-Rogers and Alistair Miles.
Gerontius is a simple, straightforward man, tormented by the agonies of death and then transformed as his own soul.
The Dream of Gerontius was the last work performed in the old Queen's Hall before it was bombed during the London Blitz.
www.classical.net /~music/recs/reviews/duggan/DavisGerontius.html   (1191 words)

  
 The Dream of Gerontius - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
In the second part, Gerontius, now referred to as "The Soul", awakes in a place apparently without space or time, and becomes aware of the presence of his guardian angel, who expresses joy at the culmination of her task (Newman conceived the Angel as male, but Elgar gives the part to a female singer).
Gerontius is sung by a tenor, and the Angel is a mezzo-soprano.
Gerontius sings a prayer, knowing that life is leaving him and giving voice to his fear, and asks for his friends to pray with him.
en.wikipedia.org /wiki/The_Dream_of_Gerontius   (2021 words)

  
 Elgar
The name ‘Gerontius’ comes simply from the Greek word meaning ‘old man’: he is an ‘Everyman’, and while the text is embedded deeply in Catholic faith, what it explores concerns all of us, regardless of religious belief.
I imagined Gerontius to be a man like us, not a Priest or a Saint, but a sinner, a repentant one of course but still no end of a worldly man in his life, and now brought to book.
Gerontius’ Soul, however, is unmoved by the demons, and speeds towards its judgement to the sound of angelicals proclaiming the hymn ‘Praise to the Holiest in the height’.
www.james-ross.com /dream_of_gerontius.htm   (1251 words)

  
 Elgar's piece reaches for the soul   (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-11-06)
Scored for tenor (Gerontius and later his soul), contralto or mezzo-soprano (Angel), bass (Priest and Angel of Agony), chorus and orchestra, "Gerontius" is a setting of an impassioned poem of the same name written in 1865 by the erudite British theologian Cardinal Newman.
Yet, while the poem "Gerontius" is a depiction of the afterlife according to Catholic belief written by a scholar in eschatology (the theology of the end of days), it is at its core an ecstatic poem.
A chorus of his friends and family intone prayers for him, followed by Gerontius' confession of beliefs, in the potent and chromatic "Sanctus Fortis." While Gerontius' singing is tinged with resignation, ultimately his faith steers the music toward hope.
www.post-gazette.com /pg/05158/516797.stm   (1190 words)

  
 SA-CD.net - Elgar: The Dream of Gerontius - Davis
Sir Edward Elgar's Oratorio, The Dream of Gerontius, is a setting of a poem by Cardinal Newman narrating the journey of a soul after death to the moment he meets his God.
Gerontius roughly translates to "old man", and we meet him on his death bed, so a virile Wagnerian tenor is certainly not what we want; Rendal portrayed the frailty and abject fear of his subject superbly.
Anne Sofie von Otter was, I think, an inspired choice as The Angel; she shows great depth of emotion in supporting Gerontius throughout his ordeal, and is wonderfully tender in "Softly and gently, dearly ransomed soul" as she ushers him to his purgatorial rest near the end of the piece.
www.sa-cd.net /showtitle/3929   (922 words)

  
 Conductor leads 'Dream' session - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
When Andrew Davis was 14 years old he heard "The Dream of Gerontius" for the first time and was swept away by the music's journey through torment and doubt to arrive at a great serenity and resolution.
Gerontius is a man, not priest or a saint, the Catholic Elgar emphasized.
The second part opens after death "in a dream world as the soul wakes up in his new surroundings to the most disembodied music one can think of, with muted strings," says the conductor, relishing sounds he'll soon create with symphony musicians.
www.pittsburghlive.com /x/pittsburghtrib/s_341872.html   (547 words)

  
 Elgar's Dream of Gerontius   (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-11-06)
As the Soul of Gerontius enters the judgment court, the Angel of the Agony pleads for mercy upon him.
The premiere of The Dream of Gerontius was one of the famous debacles recorded in musical history.
It was not until the end of 1901 that The Dream of Gerontius was given a worthy performance.
www.hartfordchorale.org /Gerontius/gerontius.html   (1051 words)

  
 Prom 13: Elgar - The Dream of Gerontius @ Royal Albert Hall, London : prom review
The most uplifting passage was the climactic "praise to the holiest", depicting the soul of Gerontius waiting on the threshold of judgement.
Paul Groves was an excellent Gerontius, communicating directly with the audience as he sang to all parts of the hall.
Gerontius has some tricky string figuration and syncopations, and the cellos launched into the central fugue of the Demons' chorus with aplomb, not looking back for a second.
www.musicomh.com /opera/prom-13_0705.htm   (583 words)

  
 Classical Net Review - Holst/Elgar - The Planets/The Dream of Gerontius, etc.
Elgar's friend Jaeger (Enigma's "Nimrod") asserted that The Dream of Gerontius was not a work that could be appreciated after one hearing.
Gerontius is sung operatically (but with subtlety and grace) by Gedda, whose faint accent provides an unexpected touch of exoticism.
The Dream of Gerontius is not an easy work – it's like Strauss's Death and Transfiguration, but with the scale and flavor of Parsifal – but eventually every devotee of choral music needs to come to term with it.
www.classical.net /music/recs/reviews/e/emi66540a.html   (1000 words)

  
 Gerontius - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Dream of Gerontius (poem), a dramatic religious poem by Cardinal Newman.
The Dream of Gerontius, an oratorio by Edward Elgar which sets Newman's poem to music.
Gerontius Took, a Thain of the Shire (a hobbit) in the prehistory of J. Tolkien’s fictional Middle-earth.
en.wikipedia.org /wiki/Gerontius   (150 words)

  
 Toronto Mendelssohn Choir - Dream of Gerontius Reviews   (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-11-06)
The great British composer Edward Elgar conducted his dazzling choral work The Dream of Gerontius in Massey Hall in 1911 — and surely he would have been delighted with last night's magnificent performance of the work he declared was "the best of me" by the Toronto Mendelssohn Choir, orchestra and soloists in that same venue.
Elgar’s oratorio, “The Dream of Gerontius”, is firmly anchored in the English school of the early 20th century.
Tenor Michael Schade as Gerontius and baritone Russell Braun as a priest and angel continue to astonish.
www.tmchoir.org /main/news/gerontius   (617 words)

  
 Elgar: The Dream of Gerontius, MP3 Album Music Download at eMusic
The Dream of Gerontius: Sanctus fortis, Sanctus Deus
The Dream of Gerontius: Praise to the Holiest
The Dream of Gerontius: Praise to the Holiest in the height
www.emusic.com /album/10941/10941798.html   (384 words)

  
 Guardian | The Dream of Gerontius
There are two ways of tackling The Dream of Gerontius.
In any case, with Tom Randle as Gerontius in this performance with the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra and Chorus under Sakari Oramo, theatricality was never likely to be underplayed.
Randle is wonderfully instinctive and here, even though his close attention to the score suggested he may not have sung the part too often, every phrase was loaded with dramatic point.
www.guardian.co.uk /print/0,3858,4905335-108884,00.html   (326 words)

  
 The Dream of Gerontius - Sir John Barbirolli   (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-11-06)
The treasured memory of these noble and sensitively appreciative words is made all the more poignant when we remember that barely ten days were to elapse before His Holiness was to pass from this world, and that this was the last ‘live’ music he was to hear.
A critic of the day who was also one of Elgar’s earliest champions, Arthur Johnstone, had attended every performance of Gerontius including the two in Germany, and he declared this second attempt of Richter’s to be the finest of all.
Of course, that is the right way round to write ‘that stuff’ when it comes out of the bones and tissue of the music and is not imposed on it from a species of cerebral hangover.
www.st-and.demon.co.uk /JBSoc/journal/sep_96/dream.html   (768 words)

  
 'Dream of Gerontius' full of feeling - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
The setting of Cardinal John Newman's poem is in two parts: the first on the deathbed of Gerontius, the second when he awakens to new surroundings, experiences Purgatory and is eventually welcomed to heaven.
The symphony played with tremendous range in "The Dream of Gerontius," from the darkly colored prologue to the disembodied string sonorities at the opening of the second part, to ferocious outbursts from brass and percussion that were also perfectly balanced with the Mendelssohn Choir.
Every section of the winds was outstanding, too, starting with the depths of English horn and bassoons through to the gentle clarinets and soulful oboes to the air flutes.
www.pittsburghlive.com /x/pittsburghtrib/s_343141.html   (401 words)

  
 Colin Davies conducts Elgar's 'Dream of Gerontius', and Robert Hugill was in the audience
Colin Davies conducts Elgar's 'Dream of Gerontius', and Robert Hugill was in the audience
Elgar's The Dream of Gerontius is the first oratorio since Handel's time to be written by an Englishman and to be acknowledged a masterpiece, by contemporaries and by history.
This is a great curiosity because the composer himself felt that he was outside the musical establishment, both by training and religion (he was brought up a Roman Catholic); and the oratorio itself could not be further in subject matter from Handel's Anglican certainties.
www.mvdaily.com /articles/2005/12/gerontius1.htm   (292 words)

  
 EDWARD ELGAR: Dream of Gerontius, Land of Hope and Glory, and Other Choral Music
As Gerontius and the Angel approach nearer to God, the Angelicals are gradually heard louder and louder, finally culminating in a huge, powerful outburst by the whole chorus that launches this section.
As Gerontius comes before God for judgment, the Angel of the Agony (solo bass-baritone) intercedes on his behalf, repeatedly invoking the name of Christ ("Jesu"), asking for mercy for Gerontius.
Gerontius was, and still is, extremely popular in Britain; indeed, the number of performances of this work in the U.K. is phenomenal.
www.geocities.com /hansenk69/choral.html   (8421 words)

  
 Edward Elgar: The Dream Of Gerontius Op.38 at Musicroom.com - Sheet Music for Musicians
Edward Elgar's The Dream Of Gerontius is a splendid oratorio for Mezzo-soprano, Tenor and Bass with Chorus and Orchestra.
It is based on the epic poem, The Dream of Gerontius by John Henry Newman written in 1865.
The original vocal score of Gerontius was actually printed before Elgar's had even finalised or completed his final orchestration and as such it was printed without many of the markings that were added in the later full score.
www.musicroom.com /se/ID_No/012103/details.html   (290 words)

  
 Amazon.com: Elgar: The Dream of Gerontius: Music: Kim Borg,Edward Elgar,Sir John Barbirolli,Dame Janet Baker,Hallé ...   (Site not responding. Last check: 2007-11-06)
The role of the Angel was one of Baker's signature pieces; Lewis was probably the premiere Gerontius of the 50s and 60s, and while many tenors may have better voices technically, his muscianship is so intelligent and insightful that no one has really surpassed him in the role.
Elgar's writing for Gerontius is not "English"; it calls for a style of singing that is almost belongs to the romantic Italian tradition of Rossini and Verdi.
Perhaps the peculiarity of his English accent makes it difficult to take, but he simply does not sound convincing in his two solos, although it is clear that he has the necessary vocal heft to carry over both the chorus and the orchestra in what is very dense writing.
www.amazon.com /Elgar-Dream-Gerontius-Kim-Borg/dp/B000026D0F   (1696 words)

  
 The Dream of Gerontius
The Dream of Gerontius was first performed in 1900.
In each case, Gerontius is named first, then The Angel, The Priest /The Angel of the Agony, The Chorus, The Orchestra and finally the conductor.
Arthur Davies is not my idea of Gerontius and this author cannot, when hearing Felicity Palmer, forget her memorable performance as Katisha on E.N.O.'s disc of The Mikado.
www.steenslid.com /music/elgar/gerontius.htm   (1248 words)

  
 gerontius: choirs, concerts and choral music resources (uk)
On the gerontius site you will find searchable directories of uk choirs and choral concerts, and other choral music resources.
The gerontius site is 5 years old in December 2005.
Please visit the gerontius forum where you can find listings of choral jobs, notices of interest to choirs and singers and more.
www.gerontius.net   (357 words)

Try your search on: Qwika (all wikis)

Factbites
  About us   |   Why use us?   |   Reviews   |   Press   |   Contact us  
Copyright © 2005-2007 www.factbites.com Usage implies agreement with terms.