Product Review

Sir Edward Elgar was asked in 1895 to write a work on a biblical subject by the then-vicar of Bdarnich in Devon. The vicar suggested the story of Christ giving sight to a blind man, calling it Lux Christi. Elgar changed it to The Light of Life, and it was supposed to be the prelude to a trilogy of oratorios that never materialized. Even so, some of Elgar's strongest work is in this masterpiece. John Shirley-Quirk in the role of Jesus is a knockout, as is Arthur Davies in the role of the blind man. A genuinely great work. --Paul Cook