No sooner had Mendelssohn's first oratorio, "Saint Paul", received its premiere at the Lower Rhine Festival in 1836, than he began searching for a suitable subject for a new sacred work. In particular, the story of the prophet Elijah immediately struck a chord in the mind of the young composer. Unfortunately, no suitable libretto was forthcoming, and the demands of his other work forced Mendelssohn to put the idea to one side. The subject of Elijah remained dear to his heart, however, so in 1838 he enlisted the help of an old friend, Pastor Julius Schubring, in drafting a libretto, though the project lead to no true progress due to artistic differences. In 1845 further incentive was provided by the commission for a new oratorio made by the Birmingham Festival committee (a venue where "Saint Paul" was already performed several years before with great success). Mendelssohn returned to "Elijah" with renewed enthusiasm, mostly compiling the libretto himself this time, though he still required Schubring's assistance in selecting suitable texts. The first performance, conducted by Mendelssohn himself, took place on the 26th August 1846 before an audience of two thousand who had packed into Birmingham Town Hall for the eagerly-awaited event. It was an unprecedented success: no less than four choruses and four arias were encored, and the applause evidently bordered on the hysterical. It was without doubt the crowning glory of Mendelssohns spectacularly successful career, but tragically it was to prove his last major triumph, as a lifetime of overwork and the death of his sister Fanny caused a rapid decrease in his health, leading to his premature death on the 4th November, 1847.
The oratorio uses Biblical episodes concerning the life and trials of the prophet Elijah (bass) to produce intensely dramatic scenes - prominent episodes treated in the work include the drought prophecy, the raising of the widows son, the rival sacrifices, the appearance of the rain in answer to Elijahs appeal, Jezebels persecution of Elijah, the prophet's sojourn in the desert, his disappearance in the fiery chariot - a truly grand series of events, especially if we compare such a passionate narrative with the dramatically more static "Messiah". However, the piece, as is the case of most oratorios, is not meant to be staged in any way, meaning, most of all, that all these tremendous happenings are to be expressed solely through the music. Structurally the work is clearly influenced by the choral masterpieces of Bach and Handel, but its highly dramatic style, at times bordering on the operatic, constitutes a significant step forward from its Baroque predecessors.
My personal feelings towards the work as a whole are a bit conflicted, as I never quite warmed up towards it (unlike, for example, Rossini's "Petite messe"), though I cannot agree with the harsh statements of Bernard Shaw who noted "the great gluff that lies between true sentiment and the exquisite prettiness of "Elijah"". The music overall is of the highest quality in terms of orchestration and harmonic development: imaginative, if slightly sentimental, orchestration, spontaneity and energy of the counterpoint, the sheer beauty of many of the arias and choruses. Perhaps, some of the choral scenes seem less interesting than the more inspired pieces that accompany them: I am thinking, in particular, of the rather pale and unaggressive pagan priests' prayers to Baal. However, one has to admit that this rather short episode cannot shift our attention away from the work's many virtues. Interestingly, on the whole, Mendelssohn provides his finest music in the introspective moments, rather than the more dominant crowd scenes: Elijah's doubts about his suitability as a representative of God are evoked in an almost Handelian lament; while a particularly sublime soprano appeal to Israelites gives Act II a strong opening. All in all, a most handsome large-scale hymn to God.
My only version of the score is a 1994 Germanic version, headed by Helmuth Rilling. While there is some place for healthy criticism (in particular, the mezzo-soprano seems to me a bit plumy), mostly it is a very fine rendition, boasting clean orchestral playing, an effective chorus, accomplished singing from the tenor and the bass and a very lovely soprano. I am noting only the roles in which they appear in the confines of the selected highlights.
Christine Schafer - a Seraphim,
Cornelia Kallisch - an angel,
Michael Schade - Obadiah, an angel,
Wolfgang Schöne - Elijah, an angel,
Gächinger Kantorei Stuttgart.
Bach-Collegium Stuttgart,
Helmuth Rilling - conductor.
Hope you'll enjoy :).
P.S. I also should note that I have used material from the excellent notes by John Bawden, musical director (1994 - 2006) of the Fareham Philharmonic Choir to bring a more academic view to the description. Here is a link: http://www.choirs.org.uk/prognotes/mendelssohn%20elijah.htm.
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YouTube Mix for Felix Mendelssohn
My most favorite oratorio of all.I enjoyed singing it when my voice was younger. Magnificent recording.
chad75ful 5 months ago
04:20 some fragment one of the greatest melodyes of the mankind
vinllga 1 year ago
Beautiful Chorus
shishirth 1 year ago
excellent
airighdrishaig 2 years ago