sunnuntai 20. marraskuuta 2016

The Dream of Gerontius in the Helsinki Cathedral, the 20th of November, 2016


THE DREAM OF GERONTIUS

 

This autumn Helsinki has been spoiled with several types of church music performances beginning from Handel’s Messiah and Beethoven’s Missa Solemnis and ending to Edward Elgar’s The Dream of Gerontius. This oratorio composed in 1900 is Elgar’s largest work and composed in late-Romantic style. So, the music does not immediately bring to mind any oratorio, but clearly more wordly music, opera or sometimes Greek Catholic liturgy.

The Dream of Gerontius tells about the deathbed of a devout layman and his road to final judgement in front of God and to purgatory. There are usually three (sometimes four) soloist in it and a chorus. This time the chorus was actually made of three choruses (Berliner Kantorei, Navichorus and Viva vox). The orchestra was Helsinki Philharmonics.

The chorus sang splendidly the whole evening, but my favourite moment was the meeting of demons, when the chorus really could let it go. My favourite soloist was Elja Puukko, which may have been partly caused by the fact that he was singing from the pulpit, which possibly allowed his voice to ring especially beautifully.


Programme

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