Edward Elgar - The Dream of Gerontius 
​for Soloists, Choir and Chamber Orchestra

Elgar’s The Dream of Gerontius is one of the masterpieces of the English choral repertoire. The original instrumentation is for full symphony orchestra that is often too expensive for choirs to perform. This arrangement is for an orchestra of around 30 players, maintaining nearly all of Elgar’s orchestration for a smaller ensemble. It is ideal for smaller venues while keeping the grandeur and richness of the original. It also allows the choir and soloists greater projection, with fewer balance issues against the orchestra.

Listen to extracts from a live performance of the arrangement here:

Prelude (10’51)
End of Part One (4’49)
Praise to the Holiest (8’43)
End of Part Two (6’50)

Available to hire from Aria Editions here

Instrumentation: flute (piccolo), oboe (cor anglais), clarinet, bassoon, 2 horns, trumpet, trombone, 2 percussion (timpani, bass drum, tam tam, cymbal, glockenspiel, snare drum, triangle), harp, organ, violin 1, violin 2, viola, cello, double bass (strings minimum 4, 4, 3, 3, 2).

All vocal parts are as the original.

​Watch an extract here: