Customer Reviews

Elgar: The Light of Life

5 star:		(2)
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The Light of Life, an oratorio that was premiered in 1896, is the first of a trilogy (followed by The Apostles and The Kingdom) that features texts from the New Testament. This one in particular tells of a blind man whose sight returns through Jesus Christ. The text may be cliched, but the music is a wonderful experience. True, it seems a bit more operatic than other oratorios from other composers, but the heavenly meditative orchestrations make you want to sit back and enjoy without any distractions whatsoever. The soloists give incredible performances (especially Shirley-Quirk as Christ himself). The late Richard Hickox (R.I.P.) keeps the London Symphony Chorus and Orchestra moving without anything standing in their way. He also manages to balance both voices and instruments almost perfectly, and I think the top-notch sound quality from Chandos really helps.

The Light of Life may not be liked by everyone, but I can still recommend it to those who admire English classical music and choral music in general.

Excellent recording of a little known Elgar Oratorio (apart from opening Meditation). It forms a trilogy with The Apostles and The Kingdom.

A bit episodic compared to the later great works. All singers good.

Chandos recording quality excellent. Orchestra great.