They are at rest
Edward Elgar - (1857-1934)
The words for this anthem are from the Lyra Apostolica of Cardinal Newman written in 1835. Newman was also the author of the Dream of Gerontius, famously set by Elgar and his most enduring work. Newman's poetry is often mystical and even impenetrable but this is a clear evocation of the souls of the blessed at rest in paradise, surrounded and protected by an angelic host.
Programme notes compiled by Sara Kemsley