Philharmonia Orchestra: Three Choirs Festival

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The Kingdom is based on biblical texts selected and arranged by Elgar and first performed at the Birmingham Festival in October 1906 conducted by Elgar himself, and like his other works on sacred themes, dedicated to AMDG (Ad Majorem dei Gloriam – to the greater glory of God).

Elgar had originally planned The Kingdom as the third part of The Apostles but, delayed by illness, and realising the enormity of the task he had set himself and the scale of the work that would result, he sensibly decided to make The Kingdom a separate, self-contained work.

The libretto begins with the descent of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost and the foundation and early activities of the Christian Church in Jerusalem. Elgar makes Peter the focus of the work, providing a forceful and impressive role that contrasts with the rather underdeveloped role he gave him in The Apostles. The work combines much original thematic material (the soprano solo The Sun Goeth Down is particularly beautiful) with a number of themes from The Apostles, following the same leitmotif scheme.

This concert is part of the Three Choirs Festival 2010.