Again, I agree. Personally, I find the gong stroke convincing. It's symbolic.
Me too! The fragments that Elgar left, including a full orchestral score of the very opening, show that he was still inspired - but, alas, the flesh was not willing. The use of music from the earlier
King Arthur incidental music may strike some as out-of-place, but I'm on-board...
It always seems to me a shame that he divided his last years between the 3rd Symphony and The Spanish Lady. If he'd concentrated on one to the exclusion of the other we may have had one more compete score from him (preferably, the symphony).