The Kingdom (Elgar) There is a double chorus with semichorus, and four soloists representing: The Blessed Virgin (soprano), Mary Magdalene (contralto), St John (tenor), and St Peter (bass). The work is in five parts, each played without a break, preceded by a prelude. Words were selected by Elgar from the Acts of the Apostles, supplemented by material mainly from the Gospels. As in Elgar's other mature oratorios, the Prelude introduces the main musical themes and sets the mood. The music is lyrical and mystical, with less narrative drive than in "The Apostles". Its most memorable moments are the ecstatic depiction of Pentecost, Mary's
Communion of the Apostles (Signorelli) Communion of the Apostles (Signorelli) The Communion of the Apostles is a painting by Italian Renaissance artist Luca Signorelli, dating from around 1512. It is currently housed in the Diocesean Museum of Cortona, Tuscany. The iconography of the painting was rather unusual for Italy, and had been indeed inspired by Justus van Gent's "Corpus Domini Altarpiece" (1472–1474), that Signorelli had seen during his stay at Urbino. Above an ancient style background, similar to Perugino's works, Signorelli painted Christ in the center of the scene, surrounded by brightly dressed apostles in a pyramidal composition. Christ holds a dish with the hosts