The Dream of Gerontius - a new setting at the Oxford Oratory

On Saturday May 12th there will be another opportunity to hear Julien Chilcott-Monk's new musical setting of Bl. John Henry Newman's Dream of Gerontius in aid of the Oxford Oratory Appeal in the Oratory church at 7.30 p.m. This new presentation of the work follows on from its premiere at Christ Church last autumn.

 

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The solo voices are those of the distinguished actor Robert Hardy as The Soul/Gerontius and Neil Nisbet as the Guardian Angel. The choir of assistants, angels and demons is provided by Vox Humana.

Tickets are available from the Oxford Playhouse and on the door on the evening at a cost of £10. Every pound buys a brick!

New setting of "The Dream of Geronius"

This coming Saturday, September 17th, in Christ Church Cathedral in Oxford at 8pm, there will be the premiere of the Winchester based composer Julien Chilcott-Monk's setting of Bl. John Henry Newman's The Dream of Gerontius.

The performers are the distinguished actor Robert Hardy as The Soul and Neil Nisbett as The Angel. The chorus of Angels and Demons are the choir Vox Humana.

Tickets are £15, £12 or £5, and are available at the Oxford Playhouse or on the door.

Robert Hardy at the Oxford Union

Last night the guest speaker at the Oxford Union was the actor Robert Hardy, who spoke about his career from acting as an undergraduate at Magdalen through to his extensive career on television and in film. He also spoke about his interest in the history of medieval warfare, a subject to which he has contributed published work on the longbow, and such enterprises as the raising of the Mary Rose.

His interest in medieval combat developed from playing King Henry V in Shakespeare's history plays, most famously in the 1960 BBC television series An Age of Kings. This was the first major television presentation of Shakespeare's history plays as a cycle, and had a cast of great distinction. Many of the images it created remain vivid in the memory of those of us who saw it. It is now available on DVD.

Whilst speaking about how to be a successful actor he said it required conviction, the ability to promote oneself and to commit a few 'murders' along the way. Listening to this I thought that sounded like a pretty good description of how to be a successful late medieval monarch. Shortly afterwards when discussing the dramatic role of King Henry V as created by Shakespeare, having made the point that the play is a superb depiction of late medieval kingship, he reflected that that also required conviction, the ability to promote oneself and to commit a few murders along the way... Great minds clearly think alike.

After his talk I was able to speak to him and say that I was probably the only person present who remembered watching An Age of Kings as a child, and that the series, combined with the fact of coming from a town whose castle features in the plays ( "O thou bloody prison... fatal and ominous alike to Englan's peers... "), had fuelled my own passion for the late middle ages.