Dream of Gerontius 1989Dundee Choral Union
Read more about the opera Dream of Gerontius
Dundee Choral Union first sang Gerontius when they inaugurated the Caird Hall in 1921, and had done it three times since. In spite of the exalted soloists who had appeared previously, it was difficult to believe this would not have been the best performance. Orchestra and chorus both seemed entirely at home in the idiom, and Neil Bell led a stirringly dramatic, indeed operatic account.
Donald Maxwell, more associated with the higher Verdi baritone roles at this stage of his career, had no problems with the bass range, and Christine Cairns sang gloriously as the Angel. Best of all was Kenneth Woollam - a complete stranger to Dundee, and performing only occasionally in Scotland with ENO, this noted Wagnerian sang tirelessly and with lots of varied tone colours - his quiet singing intensely beautiful in the huge hall.
