The centuries do indeed ?roll away? as the libretto addresses questions of empire?Roman and Victorian?and Britain?s place in the world. But that shouldn?t detract from the music; this is simply glorious and worthy of the mature Elgar.

[Brabbins] brings an electricity and Straussian Schwung to the orchestral sound throughout…There are some fine performances here from the soloists. Roland Wood is very much up to the weighty role of Caractacus…Llewellyn lends some lyrical respite to much of the forceful rhetoric of the work’s warrior spirit…The well-prepared Huddersfield Choral Society provide a range of sensitive light and shade, as well as muscular tone. Gramophone