Elgar composed John Henry Newman’s poem The Dream of Gerontius for soloists, choir, and orchestra for the Birmingham Triennial Music Festival in 1900. German conductor Hans Richter conducted the premiere, which was overshadowed by a poorly prepared choir. Critics recognized the mastery of the work despite the shortcomings of the performance.
It was next performed in 1901 in Düsseldorf, Germany, and again in 1902 under the baton of Julius Buths. The German press was already very enthusiastic about the work, stating, among other things, that “Elgar stands on the shoulders of Berlioz, Wagner, and Liszt, from whose influence he has freed himself, and has risen to become a significant composer. He is one of the leaders of contemporary music.”
The Music House Choir sings with the Radio Symphony Orchestra conducted by Nicolas Collon, soloists, the Helsinki Chamber Choir, the Cambridge University Symphony Chorus, Alumni of the Choir of Clare College Cambridge, and Dominanten. The new recording of Gerontius’ Dream has been enthusiastically received and has received good reviews from various sources.