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Mendelssohn: Elijah, Op. 70

(sung in English)

Rosemary Joshua (soprano), Jonty Ward (treble), Sarah Connolly (mezzo-soprano), Robert Murray (tenor) & Simon Keenlyside (baritone)

Wroclaw Philharmonic Choir, Gabrieli Young Singers' Scheme & Gabrieli Consort & Players, Paul McCreesh

Connolly sings with mellifluous tone and Simon Keenlyside is an Elijah of spirit and intelligence: he may not have the sheer weight of a Bryn Terfel, but he's alive to every shift of meaning... — BBC Music Magazine, November 2012, More…

Release Date: 28th Aug 2012
Catalogue No: SIGCD300
Label: Signum
Series: Winged Lion
Length: 2 hours 15 minutes

Presto Recording of the Week

27th August 2012
Gramophone Magazine

November 2012

Editor's Choice
Diapason d’Or de l’Année

2013

Winner - Oratorio

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Contents

Mendelssohn: Elijah

2:15:32

$47.00

$65.80

$82.25

Gabrieli Consort, Gabrieli Young Singers Scheme, Wroclaw Philharmonic Choir
Paul McCreesh

Part I: Introduction

1:05

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Part I: Overture

3:35

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Part I: Chorus

5:00

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Part I: Duet With Chorus

2:14

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Part I: Recitative

0:54

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Part I: Aria

2:33

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Part I: Chorus 2

4:14

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Part I: Recitative 2

0:57

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Part I: Double Quartet

2:36

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Part I: Recitative 3

1:17

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Part I: Duet

6:08

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Part I: Chorus 3

3:51

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Part I: Recitative & Chorus

4:18

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Part I: Chorus 4

3:34

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Part I: Recitative & Chorus 2

1:07

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Part I: Recitative & Chorus 3

2:23

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Part I: Aria 2

3:05

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Part I: Quartet

2:05

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Part I: Recitative & Chorus 4

3:04

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Part I: Aria 3

2:04

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Part I: Aria 4

2:38

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Part I: Recitative & Chorus 5

5:33

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Part I: Chorus 5

4:04

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Part II: Aria 5

5:23

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Part II: Chorus 6

4:09

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Part II: Recitative & Chorus 6

3:33

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Part II: Chorus 7

1:40

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Part II: Recitative 4

2:19

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Part II: Aria 6

5:09

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Part II: Recitative 5

0:47

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Part II: Trio

1:48

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Part II: Chorus 8

3:21

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Part II: Recitative 6

2:15

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Part II: Aria 7

3:18

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Part II: Chorus 9

2:25

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Part II: Recitative 7

1:44

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Part II: Chorus 10

3:41

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Part II: Recitative 8

0:26

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Part II: Quartet & Chorus

3:27

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Part II: Chorus & Recitative

1:25

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Part II: Aria 8

2:42

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Part II: Chorus 11

2:57

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Part II: Aria 9

2:37

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Part II: Recitative 9

1:12

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Part II: Chorus 12

3:41

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Part II: Quartet 2

3:36

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Part II: Chorus 13

3:38

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About
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Further Reading

Favourites, Felix Mendelssohn

David picks out some recordings of the German Romantic composer Felix Mendelssohn.

Recording of the Week, Mendelssohn's Elijah from McCreesh

27th August 2012

A super-sized, historically-aware account of Mendelssohn’s Old Testament oratorio (with Simon Keenlyside offering a nuanced portrayal of the irascible prophet) sets a new benchmark for this oft-recorded work, with an orchestra of almost 100 and a choir of over 300!

At the time of its first performances in 1846, Elijah was hailed as one of the great oratorios alongside Handel’s 'Messiah'. It tells the story of the prophet with imposing grandeur, inspirational orchestration and beautiful arias, recitatives and choruses. This mighty piece requires even mightier orchestral and choral forces and the Gabrieli singers are reinforced by the talented Gabrieli Young Singers’ Scheme and the Wroclaw Philharmonic Choir. This recording sees over 440 musicians taking part, including 92 string players and over 300 singers.

Reviews

November 2012

Connolly sings with mellifluous tone and Simon Keenlyside is an Elijah of spirit and intelligence: he may not have the sheer weight of a Bryn Terfel, but he's alive to every shift of meaning and his diction is, as ever, impeccable. The gut strings, unimpeded by vibrato, bring splendid urgency to the texture

November/December 2012

unashamedly committed and thoroughly dramatic…this a reading to make one hear Mendelssohn’s masterpiece anew…The recording is beautifully presented in an exquisitely designed ‘book format’

November 2012

The sound is massive when required, but the articulation is never unwieldy and there is delicacy too … [the organ is] a splendid beast and, except in one instance, you would never know that it was dubbed on electronically...Sarah Connolly and Rosemary Joshua are both excellent. From the crib of ‘Death and the Maiden’ at the opening to the final ‘Amen’, this is a triumph.

October 2012

There’s a definite histrionic side to the role and Keenlyside doesn’t short-change us but when listening to him I was reminded again and again what a fine lieder singer he is...[Ward is] clear and accurate and shows excellent breath control. Furthermore, his pitching is spot-on...The orchestral playing is superb...This is a marvellous recording of Elijah...Anyone who cares about this fine work should try to hear it.

27th August 2012

McCreesh’s tempi are well judged and help build the real power and drama of this performance. This is big, grand choral singing of the Victorian scale, not always subtle but hugely effective...In all this is staggeringly good. Approaching the work in this way fills a gap which I didn’t even realise was there, but now I’ve heard it I think it will be first choice for a while to come. Thoroughly recommended.

2nd September 2012

the choral singing is a marvel.

23rd September 2012

McCreesh here totally re-imagines it: the big choruses are transparent as well as massively impressive...and there is no danger of religiosity in the fresh-voiced solos of Rosemary Joshua, Sarah Connolly and Simon Keenlyside...In all, a spectacularly successful reinvention of the British choral tradition.

15th September 2012

one of the striking aspects of the performance is the way that Paul McCreesh so naturally places the great set pieces within the context of a multifaceted expressive whole...familiar moments in Elijah sound newly minted here, McCreesh approaching them with polished, fluent phrasing and using the period instruments of his orchestra to underpin emphases and to add vibrant colour.

1st September 2012

Step into Victorian Birmingham with Paul McCreesh’s “authentic” recording of Mendelssohn’s epic Old Testament oratorio...The thumping grandeur of the big choruses is magnificent. But against that must be placed McCreesh’s tendency to insert wallowing rallentandos before every transition, and fuzzy choral diction.

The Arts Desk 6th October 2012

Miraculously, McCreesh succeeds in relating Elijah’s sound world to Mendelssohn’s more familiar, lighter-sounding works while never underplaying the performance’s staggering heft. The combined choirs produce a sonority which has to be heard to be believed. The doomy, dramatic numbers are simply terrifying...McCreesh’s Berlioz disc was a highlight of 2011; this Elijah is even better. Flawless, in other words.