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Barnes Music Festival Artistic Director, James Day, conducts the Festival Orchestra, alongside the English Chamber Choir and the Tiffin Chamber Choir semi-chorus for Elgar’s epic The Dream of Gerontius. The momentous work was composed in 1900, and relays the journey of a pious man’s soul facing death and the judgement of God, before being sent to purgatory. The piece is set to text from a poem by John Henry Newman, and is often considered Elgar’s masterpiece. There will be a talk on Newman’s text prior to the performance from Richard Harries, Baron Harries of Pentregarth and former Bishop of Oxford.

The concert will be preceded by a performance by this year’s Barnes Young Musician of the Year chosen during the festival at the final adjudication on 16 March.

Dress code: Black Tie encouraged