Performance of Elgar's oratorio The Apostles by the Salisbury Musical Society with the Chelsea Opera Group Orchestra and six soloists.
Salisbury Musical Society are bringing Elgar's The Apostles to Salisbury Cathedral on Saturday 14 November, starting at 7:30 pm. It's one of Elgar's great choral masterpieces, a rare and ambitious oratorio first performed in 1903 at the Birmingham Music Festival. It doesn't get staged often because of its scale, which calls for a large choir, a professional symphony orchestra and six soloists.
Elgar didn't imagine the Apostles as distant biblical figures, but as ordinary people full of hopes, fears, doubts and conflicting personalities. The work follows a clear narrative arc, from the calling of the Apostles and Jesus's teaching and ministry through to Judas's betrayal, the Crucifixion and the Resurrection. Two very different journeys run through it: Mary Magdalene's transformation from worldly passion towards love and spiritual renewal, and Judas's tragic, conflicted inability to believe in forgiveness. Elgar's portrayal of Judas is among the most psychologically complex in the work.
The performance features the Chelsea Opera Group Orchestra conducted by David Halls, with soloists Rebecca Hardwick (soprano), Diana Moore (alto), Michael Bell (tenor), John Savournin as Judas (bass), Dingle Yandell as Jesus (bass) and James Geidt as Peter (bass). The whole thing takes place in Salisbury Cathedral, one of the leading examples of Early English Gothic architecture.
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Tickets are £40 for the front nave, £25 for the rear nave, £20 for the sides of the stage and £10 for the side aisles, which are unreserved and have a restricted view. Wheelchair users and their carers are also £10. The concert starts at 7:30 pm on Saturday 14 November.
