Elgar's The Dream of Gerontius — widely regarded as the English composer's greatest achievement — brings together 180 singers and musicians on the Koncertsalen stage for a sweeping musical portrayal of an ordinary person's journey through death and into the afterlife.
The work is based on a poem by English Cardinal John Henry Newman, which deeply moved Elgar despite his own wavering Catholic faith. He set it for large choir, three soloists and orchestra, creating a piece sometimes compared to Wagner's Parsifal in its metaphysical grandeur and extraordinary harmonic beauty.
Conductor Vasily Petrenko, who drew wide acclaim for his performance of Elgar's Symphony No. 1 in 2017, leads the DR Symfoniorkestret and the DR Koncertkor through this uplifting meditation on human mortality. Petrenko is based in England and brings a deep familiarity with the Elgar tradition to this programme.
Two performances are scheduled: an evening concert on Wednesday 22 April at 19:30, and a matinée on Friday 24 April at 14:00.
Lineup
Vasily Petrenko
Vasily Petrenko is a conductor based in England who previously led a deeply moving performance of Elgar's Symphony No. 1 with the DR Symfoniorkestret in 2017. He is known for his authoritative command of the Elgar repertoire.
DR Symfoniorkestret
DR Symfoniorkestret is the Danish National Symphony Orchestra, resident at DR Koncerthuset in Copenhagen. Over the past decade its traversal of Mahler's symphonies with chief conductor Fabio Luisi has produced some of the most memorable moments in the orchestra's history.
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