Breaking: Rave reviews pour in for CEFC and Hertfordshire Chorus's epic 'The Kingdom' concert
Following last night's electrifying near-sold-out performance of Elgar's The Kingdom at the Royal Festival Hall, the Crouch End Festival Chorus - joined by Hertfordshire Chorus, acclaimed soloists Francesca Chiejina, Dame Sarah Connolly, Ben Hulett, Ashley Riches, and London Orchestra da Camera, under David Temple's baton - has unleashed a torrent of praise from critics and fans alike.
The ambitious gala concert, culmination of over a year's preparation and building on the choir's celebrated Signum Classics recording, brought Elgar's post-Gerontius oratorio to vivid life with its 230-voice choral forces filling Southbank Centre. Early reviews highlight the performance's emotional depth, technical precision, and sheer power.
Critical praise rolls in
Professional reviewers wasted no time celebrating David Temple and the choir's amazing success.
"I just want to say I have NEVER heard a chorus like you, much less in this piece The Kingdom. I particularly loved your commitment to the text about murderers. That was delivered with REAL feelings my dear altos! Sops and tenors high lying passages were beautiful and also startlingly powerful. Baritones had wonderful articulation too. A million BRAVOS š©µš§”ā¤ļøš©·šššš§”"
Dame Sarah Connolly (Jan 29)
"The choral climaxes were truly glorious, and certainly both choirs were on fine form (this is not easy music, by any means) not only in terms of sound but in the way the singers attacked the text." ā
"David Temple's drew a fine performance from his two choirs..." ā
"The first salute...must go to the combined choirs of Crouch End Festival Chorus and Hertfordshire Chorus... tightness of their ensemble work was excellent... David Temple...one could hear the benefit of his consistent and long-term approach." ā
"The choral writing in āPentecostā...handled with consummate brilliance.
"Their power and the range quickly became apparent, first as The Disciples sang with the Holy Women So He was their Saviour, and then shortly afterwards as the choir joined the soloists in the complex and compelling interplay of Let Them Give Thanks."
"The [Mystic Chorus] gave the choir the opportunity to show off their deep understanding of Elgarās vision for the piece."
"Temple's conducting was passionate and committed but never flamboyant."
āThere is nothing to compare with the visceral experience of hearing a massed choir ā in this case the 230-strong combined forces of the Crouch End Festival Chorus and the Hertfordshire Chorus ā in full-throated fortissimo.ā
āThe discipline and togetherness of the combined choirs was an impressive feature of the whole evening, whether in the beefy passages of the lower voices in Part 1 or the womenās voices as the Mystic Chorus of Part 3.
āHats off to David Temple ā¦ for his advocacy of this piece, which couldnāt have been given a more sympathetic reading.ā
"The combined choruses [...] created a magnificent sound in āSeek first the Kingdom of Godā. They seemed to relish the sheer beauty of Elgarās harmonic progressions (especially at āPeace, peace be unto theeā), their close of Part I (āO ye priests!ā) powerful indeed; while āThe Spirit of the Lord,ā the āMystic Chorusā of the third part was magnificently interiorised, and perfectly balanced."
"But this was definitely a case of the whole being more than the sum of its parts, and praise for that must go to David Temple and his faultless direction of the forces before him. A memorable evening, the massed choruses (Crouch End Festival Chorus and Hertfordshire Chorus) never putting a foot wrong, the soloists as ravishing as a quartet as they were individually."
"...extraordinary sound that Temple is able to draw from his musicians"
"It is impossible not to consider this concert as the finest performance of great music"
"From the first entry (āSeek first the Kingdom of Godā) the choral singing was exceptional: not only was there a magnificent body of tone, but also exemplary diction, clear rhythmic articulation and, as the performance progressed, a marvellous range of vocal colour."
"Here were two choirs who clearly knew the work exceptionally well, and they did Elgar proud. For that, David Temple must take much of the credit: his passionate belief in The Kingdom translated into an outstanding interpretation which made an utterly compelling case for considering it to be Elgarās supreme choral work."
"This was a Kingdom that will stay long in the memory. Iām sure I wasnāt the only member of the audience to have been moved to tears in several places, and the performance throughout had a concentration and conviction that was utterly engrossing."
Nigel Simeone, The Elgar Society Journal (No.88, April 2026)
