Concert Details

Sat 21 March 2026, 7:30pm
The Halls – Venue details

Diana Moore – contralto
Gwilym Bowen – tenor
Ashley Riches – bass
Norwich Philharmonic Chorus and Orchestra
conducted by Ashley Grote

Elgar: The Dream of Gerontius

For our March concert the Norwich Phil makes a triumphant return to The Halls, newly-refurbished and finally re-opened to the pubic after more than 2 years. St Andrew’s Hall has been our home since 1841 and it is fitting that the chorus and orchestra will be performing one of the most popular of British choral works, Elgar’s great oratorio, The Dream of Gerontius.

It is a setting to music of a poem about an old man, Gerontius, reflecting on his life and contemplating death. And significantly, Elgar saw Gerontius as an ordinary man – ‘like us, not a Priest or a Saint…I’ve not filled his part with Church tunes and rubbish but a good, healthy full-blooded romantic, remembered worldliness.’

It was first performed in Birmingham in 1900 and is regarded by many as his greatest work. Certainly the composer himself considered it to be ‘the best of me’. From the solemn reflection of the opening to the sublime ‘Angel’s Farewell’ at the end, Elgar writes ravishing passages for both choir and orchestra. It is music that moves you and touches your soul. As Elgar said: ‘This, if anything of mine, is worth your memory.’

Ticket prices to follow.
Booking opens on Fri 12 December at www.ticketsource.co.uk/norwichphil