Elgar: The Dream of Gerontius, Op. 38

A seasoned and passionately committed Elgarian, Daniel Barenboim follows up his excellent recordings of the two symphonies with The Dream of Gerontius. He draws wonderfully idiomatic and burnished playing from the Staatskapelle Berlin, and his two superb Berlin choirs sing as if this music has been in their blood for years. His soloists are good without erasing memories of past performers, and the sound is appropriately full and round. However, the true star here is the conductor and his totally convincing vision of this great work.