The Dream of Gerontius

Saffron Hall, Saffron Walden

Saturday 1 March 2025, 5pm (until approx 7pm)

Edward Elgar The Dream of Gerontius

Performed by:

Cambridge Philharmonic Orchestra

Cambridge Philharmonic Chorus

University of East Anglia Choir

Tom Primrose Conductor

Clare Presland Mezzo Soprano 

Adam Temple-Smith Tenor

Armand Rabot Baritone

Considered by many to be his finest work, Elgar’s setting of Cardinal Newman’s poem about a soul’s migration to his meeting with God showcases the fascinating and moving mixture of glory, self-doubt, yearning and insecurity that makes this greatest of English composers such a firm favourite.

With its extraordinary choruses, beautiful solos and luxuriant orchestration The Dream of Gerontius is immersive perfection, beloved by players, singers and audiences alike.

Once again, the forces of the Cambridge Philharmonic chorus and orchestra will be joined by the University of East Anglia Choir in another epic collaboration with conductor Tom Primrose at the helm.

Guest Soloists

Clare Presland Mezzo Soprano 

Current and future engagements for Clare Presland include PIA in the world premiere of

Turnage & Festen, Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, Mrs Sedley Peter Grimes Teatro

dell’Opera di Roma, Page Salome, Aksinya / female convict Lady Macbeth of Mtsenk, Peter Grimes Staatsoper Hamburg, Ligeti’s Requiem London Philharmonic Orchestra and BBC Proms, Countess Susanna Il Segreto di Susanna, revival Opera Holland Park, Dani Howard’s one woman show Yellow Wallpaper (world premiere) Copenhagen Festival and Opera Nova Festival in Prague. She was a Chilcott Award winner.

Recent performances include Queen of Hearts in Gerald Barry’s Alice’s Adventures Under Ground, a co-production with Royal Opera House Covent Garden and Irish National Opera (released on video), the world premiere of Alexander Goehr’s Combat of Joseph della Reina and the Devil Wigmore Hall , AKSINYA Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk Opera de Lyon, Hermia A Midsummer Night’s Dream, English National Opera, Hyogo Performing Arts Center in Japan and Hippolyta Opéra de Lille.

Clare trained at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama.

Armand Rabot Baritone

Armand Rabot is a British-Sri Lankan Baritone from the Northwest of England studying with Ben Johnson. Armand recently won the prestigious Grange Festival Prize and the First Prize, Audience Prize and Language Prize at Hurn Court Opera Singer of the Year Competition.

He also won the Junior Kathleen Ferrier Bursary award. This season Armand  returns to the Salzburger Festspiele to sing Roucher in Andrea Chénier in the Grosses Festspielhaus with Marco Armiliato.

Armand’s recent concert appearances include singing at Ann Murray’s Lifetime achievement award concert at the National Concert Hall in Dublin, recitals at Liverpool Philharmonic and the Charles Wood Festival, Elijah with Birkenhead Choral Society, the Mozart Requiem at Liverpool Cathedral and Marple Choral Society, Handel’s Messiah with the Salford Choral Society, Birkenhead Choral Society and Shrewsbury Cathedral. Brahms Requiem and Puccini Messa Di Gloria with Formby Choral Society, The Creation with Keele Bach Choir, Rossini Petite Messe Solennelle with Streatham Choral Society, Faure Requiem at Blackburn Cathedral, Mozart C minor Mass with the Amadeus Choir, Saint Saens’ Oratorio de Noel at Shrewsbury Cathedral and Bach Cantatas 62,158,32, The John Passion and The Matthew Passion with the Liverpool Bach Collective.

Upcoming concerts include Dreams of Gerontius at Truro Cathedral, Finzi, By Footpath and Stile and Barber’s Dover Beach at The Liverpool Philharmonic with the Liverpool String Quartet, Verdi’s Reqieum with Streatham Choral Society, Rossini Petite Messe Solennelle at Chester Cathedral, Christus in Johannespassion with the Liverpool Bach Collective and Mendelssohn’s Paulus at Wakefield Cathedral.

Previous roles include Der Direktor Der Spieler at the Salzburger Festspiele. Littore and Familgiari 3 L’incoronazione di Poppea and Keeper of the Madhouse The Rakes Progress at The Grange Festival. Father Hänsel und Gretel (Hampstead Garden Opera), Narumov and cover Surin in The Grange Festival’s performance of Queen of Spades. Roles with British Youth Opera include Pistol in Sir John in Love and Envy, Mistrust, Apollyon and 3rd Shepherd in A Pilgrim’s Progress.

Adam Temple-Smith Tenor

British tenor Adam Temple-Smith began his studies at Chetham’s School of Music in Manchester.  He graduated from the Royal Northern College of Music in 2016 and now studies with Ben Johnson.  He was a Young Artist at the National Opera Studio in London, before going on to join the Opern Studio NRW, a collaboration between four internationally-renowned theatres: Oper Dortmund, Aalto-Musiktheater Essen, Musiktheater im Revier Gelsenkirchen and Oper Wuppertal.

Adam is now based in Germany and, in recent seasons, he has sung Madwoman in Britten’s Curlew RiverSandrino in Paisiello’s Il re Teodoro in Venezia, Robert in Hindemith’s Hin und zurück at the Musiktheater im Revier, Gelsenkirchen, Iago in Rossini’s Otello in Essen, and First Armed Man and Second Priest Die Zauberflöte in Wuppertal. Whilst at the Opern Studio NRW, Adam also sang the roles of Parpignol La bohème in Wuppertal, and appeared as tenor soloist in Stravinsky’s Les Noces in Gelsenkirchen, as well as singing the Tenor role in the world premiere of Kaosmos, an interactive opera composed by Marc Sinan, with a libretto by Tobias Rausch.

Elsewhere, his roles include Bertrando in Rossini’s L’inganno felice for West Green House Opera, Misael in Britten’s The Burning Fiery Furnace at the Southrepps International Festival, First Armed Man and Second Priest Die Zauberflöte for Garsington Opera, and Sergeant Lombardi in Stephen Sondheim’s Passion at the Cantiere Internazionale d’Arte Festival in Montepulciano, under the direction of Keith Warner and Roland Böer. Whilst a student, Adam sang Don Ottavio Don Giovanni for British Youth Opera, and Camille The Merry WidowLysander A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Ferrando Così fan tutte for the RNCM.  He was also a semi-finalist in the 2019 Kathleen Ferrier Awards, held at the Wigmore Hall in London.

His recent and future German appearances have included further performances in Curlew RiverOtello, Die Zauberflöte and La bohèmeRemendado Carmen, Herr M in Hindemith’s Neues Vom Tage and Evangelist in a staging of Bach’s Weihnachtsoratorium, as well as Apprentice and Squeak Billy Budd, Ernesto Don Pasquale, roles in The Cunning Little Vixen, the Fisher Rossignol (Stravinsky), the 1st Jew Salome and Guido Eine Nacht in Venedig.

In addition to his Gelsenkirchen performances, 2023 also saw Adam sing the title role Itchingham Lofte to great acclaim in the world premiere of Jonathan Dove’s Itch at Opera Holland Park, as well as multiple roles (including White King and Mad Hatter) in Gerald Barry’s Alice’s Adventures Under Ground in Magdeburg.

His current and future plans include Tom Rakewell The Rake’s Progress at The Grange Festival in summer 2024 and a reprise of Alice’s Adventures Under Ground (in a new French version) at the Grand Théâtre de Genève, as well as a busy season in Gelsenkirchen to include his role debut as Fenton Falstaff.

tickets

Tickets: £16, £26, £31. Some under 25 concessions available.

Please note that tickets are purchased on a non-refundable basis.

Access: The building is fully accessible to wheelchair users, with wheelchair / companion seating ramps and accessible toilet facilities.

TRAVEL & PARKING

With over 400 car parking spaces on site, parking at Saffron Hall is easy, convenient and free. You can find out more HERE.

The nearest train station is Audley End, with regular trains from Cambridge. 

The venue address is: Saffron hall, Audley End Road, Saffron Walden, CB11 4UH MAP LINK HERE