Pygmalion / Raphaël Pichon
Mendelssohn: Elijah
Bach’s legacy
On 26 August 1846, a thundering round of applause shook the local concert hall in Birmingham, England, to its foundations. The 2,000 members of the audience had just heard Felix Mendelssohn’s new oratorio »Elijah« performed by four soloists, a whopping 271 choir singers and 125 orchestra musicians. The original-sound conductor Raphaël Pichon now reaffirms his love of Mendelssohn’s music with a significantly slimmer line-up in the Elbphilharmonie.
At his side for this performance of »Elijah«, Raphaël Pichon has his choral and instrumental ensemble Pygmalion, with whom he presented a delightful exploration of Johann Sebastian Bach last season. Pichon also sees Bach’s influence very clearly in Mendelssohn’s »Elijah«: »When I engage with Romantic music, what I find is essentially the legacy of Bach’s music.« In a series of episodes, the oratorio depicts the deeds of the prophet Elijah, from the proclaimed drought and the encounter with God on Mount Horeb to his ascension to heaven.
Performers
Pygmalion
Stéphane Degout Elijah
Siobhan Stagg Widow, Angel
Ema Nikolovska Queen, Angel
Thomas Atkins Obadiah, Ahab
Julie Roset Youth
director Raphaël Pichon
Programme
Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy
Elijah / oratorio, Op. 70
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