In A firm nod towards mainstream classical music, the Brighton Festival has assembled a stellar British line-up to celebrate the 150th anniversary of Elgar's birth.

Gill says: "To anyone who likes classical music Elgar is such an important figure. He is one of the 20th century's greatest choral and orchestral composers."

Last Night of the Proms conductor Sir Andrew Davis leads the orchestra in a resounding rendition of the composer's epic masterpiece the Dream of Gerontius to mark the end of the festival.

Based on the poem by Cardinal John Newman, which recounts the journey of a man's soul after death, this is a stirring, sensitive but resolutely unsentimental version of the score.

Sir Andrew, along with the Philharmonia Orchestra, Brighton Festival Chorus, impressive tenor James Gilchrist, acclaimed bass Peter Sidhom and the phenomenal mezzo Catherine Wyn-Rogers, brings this two-part oratorio, widely regarded as one of Elgar's finest works, to life in all its sublime glory.