Connolly:Bbcso:Davis - Elgar: The Dream Of Gerontius

Chandos Records is delighted to present this new�recording of Elgar's choral masterpiece The Dream of�Gerontius and the enduringly popular song cycle Sea Pictures. The BBC Symphony Orchestra�and Chorus are conducted by Sir Andrew Davis, a peerless Elgarian who this year was awarded�the prestigious Elgar Society Medal in recognition of his outstanding contribution to the�composer's music. In Gerontius the soloists are Stuart Skelton, David Soar and Sarah�Connolly, who also sings in Sea Pictures. This recording was made in the days leading up to�their triumphant live performance of Gerontius in April of this year in which Skelton was�praised as 'the ideal tenor for the role of Gerontius', Soar described as 'an implacable, dark sounding�Priest' and Connolly, 'a consummately polished Angel' (The Guardian).�Elgar's Dream of Gerontius was commissioned in 1900 for that year's Birmingham Festival.�The score was produced in a hurry but Elgar had long before known the text which the work�sets, Cardinal Newman's religious poem that powerfully recounts the final dream of a dying�believer and the journey of his soul through death. The performers struggled with Elgar's score�at the disastrous premier but this did nothing to stop the immediate popularity of The Dream of�Gerontius. It is recognised today by many as the greatest choral work by any English�composer.�Written not long before Gerontius, Sea Pictures sets a collection of poetry by different authors�all on a single theme. Inspired by his love of nature, Elgar's songs explore the emotional�resonances of the sea, from serene still waters to a mighty ocean storm.