Edward Elgar was intensely moved when he read a poem by John Henry Newman titled The Dream of Gerontius, in which an ordinary man faces the end of his life and is carried into heaven, describing the experience as he goes.

In a musical setting for choir, vocal soloists and orchestra that is frequently compared to Wagner’s Parsifal, Elgar blends meta-physical otherworldliness and extraordinary harmonic beauty. ‘It is the best of me,’ wrote Edward Elgar at the end of the score on the day he finished it. Plenty would agree that this uncategorizable work for chorus, solo voices and orchestra is one of extraordinary honest and strength.

Sir Mark Elder is unparalleled in his interpretations of English music. For his last concert as Principal Guest Conductor in Bergen, Elder brings with him the leading Gerontius of our times, tenor Nicky Spence, for what promises to be a rousing performance of Elgar’s great contemplation of faith and mortality.