ARTISTIC DIRECTOR
PHILIPPE HERREWEGHE
Edward ELGAR (1857-1934):
The dream of Gerontius
Michelle Breedt _mezzo-soprano_
Peter Auty _tenor_
John Hancock _bass_
Collegium Vocale Gent
Royal Flemish Philharmonic
Edo de Waart
*The Dream of Gerontius*
While the now well-known _Enigma Variations_ provided Edward Elgar Elgar (1857-1934) with his compositional breakthrough in England, _The Dream of Gerontius_ brought him absolute world fame. Nevertheless, this progressive and immensely difficult oratorio of Wagnerian proportions, filled with revolutionary choral passages, was initially less than well received. Its premiere in Birmingham on 3 October 1900 was a total flop. A second performance in Düsseldorf, with Richard Strauss in attendance, turned the tide. During the thunderous applause Elgar was called to the stage twenty times to take his bows, assuring this masterpiece its golden future!