Details

Adaptation of John Bunyan's great work. Premiered during the 1951 Festival of Britain, Vaughan Williams's sublime ?morality' charts the trials, tribulations, temptations and revelations that Bunyan's questing Pilgrim encounters on his physical and spiritual progress ?from this world to that which is to come'. Semi Staged. The Philharmonia Orchestra present two special semi-staged performances of The Pilgrim's Progress to commemorate the 50th Anniversary of Vaughan Williams’ death. The last of Vaughan Williams’ operas and a labour of love for the composer for forty years, The Pilgrim’s Progress is today regarded as one of his finest works, brimming with expressive musical ideas. It tells of a pilgrim's journey to the Celestial City. He battles with The Devil, visits Vanity Fair, gets imprisoned and finds a pastoral idyll in the Delectable Mountains. The music is occasionally scary, at other times witty, but the overarching impression is one of visionary beauty and nobility. The opera exhibits all of Vaughan Williams’ range, from the Tallis Fantasia through the Pastoral Symphony, and a lifetime devoted to setting the greatest English poetry.

Cast/Performers

Roderick Williams (The Pilgrim), Neal Davies (John Bunyan), Matthew Rose, Richard Coxon, Matthew Brook, Timothy Robinson, Sarah Fox, Sarah Tynan, Pamela Helen Stephen, James Gilchrist, Robert Hayward, Graeme Danby

Creatives/Company

Author: Vaughan Williams
Company(s): Philharmonia Orchestra, Philharmonia Voices
Conductor: Richard Hickox