Newcastle Choral Society
Musical Director Mark Anyan
Elgar ‘Dream of Gerontius’
Saturday 24 March 2018, 7.30pm
Banqueting Suite Newcastle Civic Centre
Stephanie Lewis Mezzo Soprano
Adam Tunnicliffe Tenor
Philip Shakesby Bass
Elgar considered The Dream of Gerontius to be his finest work. Indeed it might be regarded as the greatest piece of music ever written by a British composer. Based on a poem by Cardinal John Henry Newman, the piece relates the journey of a man’s soul from his death bed, where he is attended by friends and a priest who pray for him in his last moments of life.
After death a Guardian Angel conducts his soul past demons and angels to the presence of God for judgement, and thence to the tranquillity of Purgatory to await a glorious re-awakening. The concert was well received by an appreciative audience. The work called for three soloists who represented respectively Gerontius, Priest and Angel. Adam Tunnicliffe was deemed to be ‘sensational’ as Gerontius and the rich voice of Stephanie Lewis gave depth and emotion to the role of the Angel. Philip Shakesby’s resonant bass voice gave power to the role of the Priest. There was a double chorus which incorporated a semi-chorus, portraying friends, demons and angels at various stages of the drama. Orchestra North East were superb and provided a wonderfully varied palette of sounds throughout the work, enhancing each phase of the journey.View pdf here
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