Now considered a masterpiece and frequently performed, Elgar’s The Dream of Gerontius had an inauspicious premiere at the Birmingham Music Festival of 1900 in Birmingham Town Hall. The work was under-rehearsed and proved challenging for the choir.

Luckily there were subsequent performances in Germany and Richard Strauss was enthusiastic about the work. That led to a proposed performance in London in 1903 for which the London Chorus (then called the London Choral Society) was formed. The present choir is celebrating 120 seasons of music making.

The poem by Cardinal Newman describes the journey of Gerontius’ soul from death to judgement and final rest in Purgatory. The work was for a long time considered too Catholic for British sensibilities, but it has now won its place in the hearts of choirs and audiences.