It used to be that
Edward Elgar
's
The Dream of Gerontius
, a heavy tale of death and entrance into Purgatory, was most often performed by British groupings. However, the work's popularity seems to have grown (even Russians have performed it from time to time), and this 2025 release, taken from a live recording made at the Helsinki Music Centre, landed on classical best-seller lists early that year. Listeners may have been impressed by the work of conductor
Nicholas Collon
, holding together four choirs (two Finnish, two English) and the
Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra
. He keeps a pace that has momentum in the story but never feels rushed or perfunctory. The
Ondine
label carries out a balancing act of its own in this complex score; the sound isn't perfect in some of the denser passages, but in exchange, one gets the energy of live performance. What really makes the performance work is the trio of soloists, all of them British and a fine, varied group that inhabits the sometimes abstract personalities of the principal figures. They aren't household names, but after this, they might be. The highlight may be mezzo-soprano
Christine Rice
as the Angel, falling into a great tradition leading back to
Janet Baker
. Tenor
John Findon
as Gerontius adds the proper supplicatory note to the dying man, and the pan-repertory-talented baritone
Roderick Williams
in the dual role of the Priest and the Angel of the Agony adds a certain gentleness. A worthy take on a work whose reputation continues to grow a century and a quarter after its premiere. ~ James Manheim