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See Terms & Conditions for p&p rates. | |  | Elgar - The Dream of Gerontius
Berlioz: | Symphonie fantastique, Op. 14 live 2nd January 1947 The Halle Orchestra | Elgar: | The Dream of Gerontius, Op. 38 recorded 20th November 1957 Jon Vickers, Constance Shacklock & Marian Nowakowski RAI Orchestra |
“Vickers doesn't disappoint, singing with an intensity and a care for the sound and sense of every word that are well nigh ideal. As the Angel, Constance Shacklock, gravely beautiful if occasionally too grand, is first-class, too. The drama Barbirolli brings to the work is recognisable from his later studio account, but here the live sound is at best adequate and at worse unacceptable, with a microphone placed so close to the conductor that at times he seems to be duetting with Vickers. The orchestra and chorus do their best, which isn't quite good enough; it's Vickers who makes this a must-have.” The Guardian, 23rd May 2008 *** | 
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Jane Irwin Mezzo (Soprano), Justin Lavender (Tenor), Peter Rose (Bass) City Of Birmingham Symphony Chorus, City Of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Sakari Oramo “Elgar has been a regular and vital part of my musical life in Birmingham, and it has been an honour to share my love of this
powerful, affecting music with the orchestra – of which Elgar was himself the first conductor – as well as our magnificent chorus.
The performances that we have given of Gerontius especially – on the work’s centenary, as well as in Helsinki, Amsterdam and
Berlin – have been among the biggest highlights of my career to date, and always enthusiastically received by audiences
who readily respond to the work’s humanity and spirituality. This year I am delighted to be celebrating the composer’s 150th
birthday in Birmingham with special performances of Gerontius, The Apostles and The Kingdom.” SAKARI ORAMO, 2007 "...the most appealing rendition of the Enigma Variations that I have experienced since Sir Adrian Boult was at the far end of an elongated baton... Birmingham's chorus and orchestra have never sounded better; Jane Irwin, Justin Lavender and Peter Rose are immaculate soloists."
Norman Lebrecht, Evening Standard, 6 June 2007 | | | In stock - usually despatched within 1 working day. |
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| |  | Elgar: The Dream of Gerontius, Op. 38
David Rendall (tenor), Anne Sofie von Otter (mezzo) & Alastair Miles (bass) London Symphony Chorus & London Symphony Orchestra, Sir Colin Davis A high density DSD recording, live at the Barbican Centre on 11-13 December 2005.
36 page booklet with notes in English, French and German, Text in English only "orchestral textures were sensuously coloured, and the vast symphonic structure flawlessly
paced and handled.The choral singing, thrilling in its immediacy and clarity, can only be described
as electrifying from start to finish." The Guardian | | | In stock - usually despatched within 1 working day. |
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| |  | Elgar: The Dream of Gerontius, Op. 38
Philip Langridge, Catherine Wyn-Rogers, Alastair Miles BBC Symphony Orchestra & Chorus, Andrew Davis Broadcast live from St. Paul's Cathedral, London by the BBC on 26th November 1997 as part of the Cathedral's 300th anniversary celebrations. | | | In stock - usually despatched within 1 working day. |
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Hallé Orchestra & Choir, James Loughran | | | In stock - usually despatched within 1 working day. |
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Paul Tortelier (cello), Heddle Nash - Gladys Ripley - Dennis Noble - Norman Walker (solo singers), Huddersfield Choral Society,
Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, BBC Symphony Orchestra, Malcolm Sargent | | | In stock - usually despatched within 1 working day. |
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| |  | Elgar’s Interpreters on Record - Volume 6
Elgar: | The Dream of Gerontius, Op. 38 Sung in German |
Julius Patzak (tenor), Ira Malaniuk (mezzo-soprano) & Ludwig Welter (bass) Chorus and Orchestra of Austrian Radio, Hans Swarowsky The Elgar Society is proud to release this first commercial recording of The Dream of Gerontius performed in German. Licensed from Austrian Radio (ORF), the recording was made in Vienna in January 1960. The Elgar Society formed in 1951 and The Dream of Gerontius is the 29th issue. In 2007 the Society worked in conjunction with the London Philharmonic Orchestra to produce a box set of Elgar’s recordings in order to commemorate the 150th anniversary of Elgar’s birth. This release has its roots in the first (disastrous) performance of Gerontius in October 1900. Julius Buths, the music director of the Lower Rhine Festival, was present and despite the work’s lacklustre reception he saw potential. Buths set about translating the text into German for a performance he wanted to conduct in December 1901. By May 1902 Gerontius was being toasted by Richard Strauss prompting Elgar to write to Novello, his publisher, with excitement and enthusiasm: ‘It was worth some years of anguish-now I trust over- to hear him call me Meister!’ Elgar owed much to Germany and the German speaking world for, as journalist and music critic Michael Kennedy points out in his notes in the booklet accompanying this release, ‘Elgar would be delighted by the existence of this performance. Until 1914 his reputation in Germany was as high or even higher than in his own country’. Of the soloists on this recording, tenor Julius Patzak will attract the most attention. In 1931 Patzak married the grandaughter of the famous operatic singer Gustav Walter. This assisted with launching the ‘amateur’ Patzak and he sang with the Vienna Staatsoper from 1945 until his retirement in 1960. Patzak was in great demand as a soloist in oratorios and as a leider singer, with the ORF being one of the last recordings to capture his voice. He died in Bavaria in January 1974 at the age of 75. It is hoped that this release will stimulate renewed interest in The Dream of Gerontius, particularly in the German speaking world. Booklet notes and full sung text are included in German and English. Informed annotations penned by music critic Michael Kennedy. |
| | | Scheduled for release on 28 July 2008. Order it now and we will deliver it as soon as it is available. |
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Janet Baker, John Mitchinson & Benjamin Luxon City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra & Chorus, Simon Rattle | | EMI Gemini - 5000612 (CD - 2 discs) Normally: £8.49 (£7.23 ex. VAT) Special: £5.94 (£5.06 ex. VAT) |
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| |  | Elgar: | The Music Makers, Op. 69 Janet Baker (mezzo-soprano) London Philharmonic Choir & London Philharmonic Orchestra, Sir Adrian Boult The Dream of Gerontius, Op. 38 Richard Lewis (tenor), Dame Janet Baker (mezzo-Soprano) & Kim Borg (bass) Hallé Choir, Sheffield Philharmonic Chorus, Ambrosian Singers & Hallé Orchestra, John Barbirolli |
This 1964 recording of The Dream of Gerontius, though made over four days at Christmas in a miserable and foggy Manchester, has long been the version of choice in round-up reviews, most recently on BBC Radio 3 in Building a Library. Besides the leading Gerontius of his day, Richard Lewis, and the tremendous doubled chorus, it established Janet Baker as a peerless Angel. | | | Usually despatched in 3 - 4 working days. |
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| |  | Elgar: The Dream of Gerontius, Op. 38
Robert Tear, Alfreda Hodgson, Benjamin Luxon Scottish National Orchestra & Chorus, Sir Alexander Gibson | | | Usually despatched in 2 - 3 weeks. |
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