Gala Concert: Elgar's 'The Apostles'

Date: Friday 15 June 2018
Time: 19:30 - 21:45
Venue
The Sheldonian Theatre, Broad Street, Oxford OX1 3AZ

Merton College Choir & Alumni
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
Benjamin Nicholas director
Sophie Bevan soprano
Virginie Verrez mezzo-soprano
David Butt Phillip tenor
Marcus Farnsworth bass
Ashley Riches bass
Julian Empett bass

A rare opportunity to hear this magnificent work, given as part of the celebration of the tenth birthday of our phenomenally successful choir.

Believed by many, including his close friend and publisher Jaeger, to contain some of Elgar’s very finest writing, The Apostles tells the story of Christ’s later life and passion through the experience of those around him, most tellingly perhaps Mary Magdalene and Judas Iscariot. Despite the huge forces it requires—a large orchestra and chorus, plus no fewer than six solo singers—Elgar’s deeply felt oratorio tells a profoundly human story in every gloriously scored bar.