DreamofGerontius

The Dream of Gerontius, Edward Elgar

Saturday 13 September, 7.30 pm

Christchurch Town Hall

Kate Spence - mezzo-soprano • David Hamilton - tenor •
Paul Whelan - bass

Christchurch City Choir • Christchurch Symphony Orchestra• ChristChurch Cathedral Choir

Brian Law - conductor

Elgar, inspired by Cardinal Newman’s extraordinary, visionary poem (a sort of 19th century “2001 Space Odyssey”) wrote his finest composition. The story of Gerontius’s death and his travel through space and time to judgement is as electrifying today as it was when first perfomed nearly a century ago. More Information below. Tickets $55, $48, $35, $21

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The judgement of God on the life of a man is the theme of the Christchurch City Choir’s performance of Edward Edgar’s The Dream of Gerontius in the Christchurch Town Hall Auditorium on Saturday 13 September.

This famous and popular work will feature the voices of Kate Spence as the Angel, Keith Lewis as Gerontius and Paul Whelan as Angel of the Agony and the Priest. The magnificent voices of Christchurch City Choir will be joined by the Orpheus Choir from Wellington, the City of Dunedin Choir, the 2008 Singing Scholars and the Christchurch Symphony Orchestra. Brian Law, Music Director of the Christchurch City Choir will conduct.

Edward Elgar composed this oratorio in 1900, setting the words of Cardinal Newman’s poem to “music for the soul and for the angels.” The poem follows the story of the devout Gerontius facing his last days on earth before his soul’s journey through death to judgement where the Angel of the Agony pleads for his soul.

This concert will be a most moving experience with powerful and spiritual music with the power of 160 voices and a large orchestra under the baton of Music Director Brian Law.

The soloists are all New Zealand singers returning from international careers especially for this concert.

Kate Spence, originally from Rotorua, is developing her operatic career in Australia and England, having sung with Opera Queensland, OzOpera, English National Opera and NBR New Zealand Opera. Currently studying in London, she performs regularly on the concert platform. This year, as well as The Dream of Gerontius in Christchurch, she will sing in Bach’s St Matthew Passion, Beethoven’s 9th Symphony, and David Hamilton’s Te Deum.

Canterbury tenor Keith Lewis has a most distinguished international career. This year he will appear in recital at the 2008 Edinburgh Festival in August, in the new Liszt Hall near Vienna in October, and in Lisbon with the Gulbenkian Orchestra. He has also begun working with pianist Melvyn Tan. Last year he directed for the first time when he worked with Australia Opera Studio on Mozart’s La Finta Giardiniera.

Paul Whelan’s warm and vibrant bass baritone voice is well known to Christchurch audiences and is particularly suited to the roles of the Priest who ministers to Gerontius on his death bed, and of the Angel of the Agony pleading for his soul before the judgement throne. He will sing these roles in Berlin and Salisbury as well as Christchurch this year. Then he will return to London to sing with the London Bach Choir in the St Matthew Passion at the Festival Hall.

In April of this year, Paul was the guest soloist with the NZSO in the World Premiere of Terra Incognita. This symphonic cantata about Robert Falcon Scott’s ill-fated journey to Antarctica for bass soloist and choir was written for Paul Whelan by renowned New Zealand composer Gareth Farr.