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Elgar Festival Gala Concert in Worcester Cathedral
Elgar’s Cello Concerto for Viola, and The Black Knight
Part of the Elgar Festival 2026
Add to my Calendar 30-05-2026 19:30 30-05-2026 21:30 36 Elgar Festival Gala Concert in Worcester Cathedral The Elgar Festival Gala this year is built around the two works that frame Elgar’s unique career as a composer of orchestral music. His ‘symphony for chorus and orchestra’ The Black Knight is one of his earliest works, and with it Elgar astounded the musical world with his brilliance, originality and mastery of his vast choral and orchestral forces. His final major orchestral work, the Cello Concerto, holds a unique place at the heart of British musical culture. It is heard here in the version for viola prepared by Lionel Tertis and premiered under Elgar’s baton in 1930 in a performance by the outstanding violist Rosalind Ventris, who wowed Elgar Festival audiences in 2025 with her poetic interpretations of works by Venables and Fribbins. We open with our final celebration of Featured Composer Thea Musgrave – her rollicking and joyful suite The Seasons. Discover Elgar Festival concerts on Classic Events. Worcester Cathedral, Worcester DD/MM/YYYYDetails
Worcester Cathedral
8 College Yard
Worcester
Worcestershire
WR1 2LA
England
Tickets
Ticket booking link: Book Tickets
Programme
Edward Elgar – Imperial March, Op.32
Edward Elgar – The Black Knight, Op.25
Edward Elgar – Cello Concerto in E Minor, Op.85 (arr. for viola by Lionel Tertis)
Thea Musgrave – The Seasons (1988)
Performers
Rosalind Ventris – viola
Kenneth Woods – Conductor
Other concerts in this Festival
Programme Note
The Elgar Festival Gala this year is built around the two works that frame Elgar’s unique career as a composer of orchestral music. His ‘symphony for chorus and orchestra’ The Black Knight is one of his earliest works, and with it Elgar astounded the musical world with his brilliance, originality and mastery of his vast choral and orchestral forces.
His final major orchestral work, the Cello Concerto, holds a unique place at the heart of British musical culture. It is heard here in the version for viola prepared by Lionel Tertis and premiered under Elgar’s baton in 1930 in a performance by the outstanding violist Rosalind Ventris, who wowed Elgar Festival audiences in 2025 with her poetic interpretations of works by Venables and Fribbins. We open with our final celebration of Featured Composer Thea Musgrave – her rollicking and joyful suite The Seasons.
Discover Elgar Festival concerts on Classic Events.
