Elgar: The Dream of Gerontius (DG)

Elgar: The Dream of Gerontius (DG)

(out of five)

The first thing you need to know about Daniel Barenboims live performance with the Staatskapelle Berlin is that it is the best-sounding Gerontius on record. No British string section has ever played the work with such sweet serenity. No British winds ever breathed with such deep assurance. Strange as it may seem, the Berlin musicians and chorus singers feel this most English of works in their fingers and bones. There is something akin to love in their playing.

This is not to disparage past recordings, all by English forces, notably the Halles with John Barbirolli and two-thirds of a dream team in Janet Baker and Richard Lewis; or the LPO with Adrian Boult and Nicolai Gedda, Helen Watts and Robert Lloyd. Nor would I want to be without Sakari Oramos recent Birmingham selfie release. All three are passionate accounts. This one just sounds lovelier, less effortful. The critical faculty of disbelief is suspended for the duration.

Daniel Barenboim shares with the composer a breezy agnosticism and a love for English moderation. His approach to the oratorio is broadsided, utterly secure, without shocks or fancy gestures. The intended soloists were Jonas Kaufmann, Sarah Connolly and Thomas Hampson. The first two called in sick, to be replaced by Catherine Wyn-Rogers and Andrew Staples. Their voices are, perhaps, a shade less full but the cohesion of soloists, orchestra and chorus is admirable. Never a huge devotee of post-Handel English oratorios, I dont think Ive enjoyed a Gerontius this much before.

Elgar: The Dream of Gerontius (DG) is available atAmazon.co.uk.

Norman Lebrecht is one of the most widely-read commentators on music, culture and cultural politics. He is a regular presenter on BBC Radio 3 and a contributor to the Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg, Standpoint, Sinfini and other publications. His blog, Slipped Disc, is among the most widely read cultural sites online, breaking exclusive stories and campaigning against human abuse and acts of injustice in the cultural industries.

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LEBRECHT LISTENS | Barenboim Assembles A Dream Team - Musical Toronto