Dr. Christopher Moran, Chairman of Co-operation Ireland was the primary individual sponsor of the UK Parliament Choir’s ecumenical performance of Englishman Sir Edward Elgar’s “The Dream of Gerontius” inspired by text by Saint John Henry Newman, on Saturday, 29 April 2023, in San Paolo Fuori le Mura, the Papal Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls in Rome, Italy.
The performance was celebrated in two receptions hosted by the British Embassy in Rome and the British Embassy to the Holy See.
Approximately 400 musicians, including Robert Murray (Gerontius), mezzo-soprano Beth Taylor (The Angel) and baritone Arthur Bruce (The Priest and The Angel of the Agony) and young musicians from the Southbank Sinfonia delivered the historic performance conducted by Simon Over.
The ecumenical event served to build bridges between Anglican and Catholic faiths and other faith backgrounds while celebrating cultural ties through music.
The full concert can be watched here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cBB0fgmEXMc.
Media
L’osservatore Romano – https://www.osservatoreromano.va/it/news/2023-05/quo-103/operazione-di-diplomazia-culturale.html
EWTN Vatican – https://www.ewtnvatican.com/articles/dream-of-gerontius-music-unites-uk-and-the-vatican-875
Fondazione Pro Musica e Arte Sacra – https://promusicaeartesacra.lineamenta.org/concerto/29042023?fbclid=IwAR2i-DZWvmHez0n3wHpGjgCwsrAC7Aa38teCF2SUQLKLeFKHMPTUw5OXV5w
https://www.wantedinrome.com/news/rome-concert-southbank-sinfonia-uk-parliament-choir.html
