Monmouth Choral Society and Chepstow Choral Society are joining forces for a performance of Elgar’s The Dream of Gerontius at 7.30pm on Saturday (22 November) at the Blake Theatre, Monmouth. By happy coincidence the new film The Choral, on nationwide release this month, features a choral society putting on a performance of The Dream of Gerontius.

However the film is set in 1916, at the height of World War I, with the fictional choir facing the loss of many male singers called up to fight in the trenches. Written by Alan Bennett and directed by Nicholas Hytner, The Choral stars Ralph Fiennes as the chorus master and includes a cameo appearance as Elgar by Simon Russell Beale. For the Monmouth concert the conductor will be Steven Kings, musical director of Monmouth Choral Society, with the Regency Sinfonia orchestra and soloists Andrew Henley, tenor, Susan Marrs, mezzo-soprano and Alex Jones, bass.

“Edward Elgar’s The Dream of Gerontius stands as one of the towering achievements of English choral music,” said Steven Kings. “It sets Cardinal John Henry Newman’s mystical poem of the same name, tracing the journey of a devout soul at the hour of death. Though its premiere in 1900 was marred by inadequate rehearsal, The Dream of Gerontius soon gained recognition as Elgar’s masterpiece: music at once personal and cosmic, a profound meditation on death, judgment, and the hope of redemption.”

Monmouth has a continuing connection with Elgar, who grew up in Worcester, the son of a music shop owner. He married Alice Roberts, the niece of a prominent Monmouth family who lived at Bridges House, Monmouth, now part of the community centre where Monmouth Choral Society rehearses. The couple met when he gave her lessons in piano accompaniment. The Roberts family were horrified when they became engaged, feeling that as he was a tradesman’s son she was marrying well beneath her social station. But the pair had a long and happy marriage and Alice played a crucial role in the development of the composer’s career, as not only his muse but also his business manager and social secretary.

Tickets for the concert are £20, with under-18s free, and are available from the Blake Theatre on 01600 719401, at theblaketheatre.org or on the door.e.org or on the door.heatre.org or on the door.