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Sat, 13 Feb 1999 17:44:20 -0500 |
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Kevin Sutton wrote:
>David Stewart wrote:
>
>>I bought the Dream of Gerontius as recommended by many of you. I got the
>>Boult recording as I was told it is reliable. I have listened to it with
>>and without the score but I am pretty sure most of it is going over my
>>head. There are bits which I can relate to but I don't think I am quite
>>getting the rest.
>
>David, I think that you would understand this work better if you take into
>account that it is very, very Catholic (large C) in its scope. If you are
>not yourself a Roman Catholic, you might do a little research into Cardinal
>Newman (who wrote the text) and to Catholic theology in general. Perhaps
>if you reviewed the poem with a Priest, you might glean some insights.
>It is a stunning work! Stick with it and it will reward you greatly!
As I remember it, the work is a touching contemplation and acceptance of
death after having lived a full life. As such, it might not strike too
responsive a chord in a seventeen-year old (as I think David described
himself) even if he's a precocious seventeen-year old.
Walter Meyer
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