ELIAS (ELIJAH), Part II ★ Felix Mendelssohn, Sacred Oratorio, Op. 70

Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy (*3 February 1809 ~4 November 1847)
Elias (Elijah), Sacred Oratorio, Op. 70, MWV A25 (1846, rev.1847) Words After Old Testament
PERFORMERS:
Gewandhausorchester Leipzig
Rundfunkchor Leipzig
Chorus Master: Horst Neumann
Musical Direction: Wolfgang Sawallisch
SOLOISTS, SATB (Soprano; Alto; Tenor; Bass)
S (Die Witwe, Der Engel/ The Widow; An Angel) - Elly Ameling; S (Engel/ Angel) - Christel Klug, Roswitha Trexler;
S (Der Knabe/ The Boy) - Renate Krahmer
A (Engel/ Angel) - Ingrid Wandelt; A (Ein Engel, An Angel) - Annelies Burmeister; A (Die Königin, The King) - Gisela Schröter
T (Obadjah) - Peter Schreier; T (Ahab) - Hans-Joachim Rotzsch
B (Elias/ Elijah) - Theo Adam
ZWEITER TEIL/ SECOND PART
00:00, Nr.21 Arie, Rezitativ & Arie: Höre, Israel, Höre Des Herrn Stimme/ Hear ye, Israel! (Sopran)
05:29, Nr.22 Chor: Fürchte Dich Nicht, spricht unser Gott/ Be not afraid, saith God the Lord
09:46, Nr.23 Rezitativ mit Chor: Der Herr Hat Dich Erhoben/ The Lord hath exalted thee (Elias, Die Königin/ Elijah; The King)
12:58, Nr.24 Chor: Wehe Ihm, Er Muß Sterben!/ Woe to him, he shall perish (Das Volk/ The People)
14:31, Nr.25 Rezitat: Du Mann Gottes, laß meine Rede/ Man of God, now let my words (Obadjah, Elias/ Elijah)
16:22, Nr.26 Arie: Es Ist Genug!/ It is enough, O Lord now take away my life (Elias/ Elijah)
21:45, Nr.27 Rezitativ: Siehe, Er Schläft Unter Dem Wacholder/ See, now he sleepeth (Tenor)
22:24, Nr.28 Terzett: Hebe Deine Augen Auf Zu Den Bergen/ Lift thine eyes (Engeln)
24:03, Nr.29 Chor: Siehe, Der Hüter Israels/ He, watching over Israel, slumbers not
27:04, Nr.30 Rezitativ: Stehe Du Auf, Elias/ Arise, Elijah, for thou hast a long journey (Der Engel, Elias/ An Angel, Elijah)
28:51, Nr.31 Arie: Sei Stille Dem Herrn Und Warte Auf Ihn/ O rest in the Lord (Ein Engel)
31:10, Nr.32 Chor: Wer Bis An Das Ende Beharrt / He that shall endure to the end, shall be saved
34:17, Nr.33 Rezitativ: Herr, Es Wird Nacht Um Mich/ Night falleth round me, O Lord! (Elias, Der Engel/ Elijah, An Angel)
36:09, Nr.34 Chor: Der Herr Ging Vorüber / Behold! God the Lord passeth by!
40:38, Nr.35 Quartett mit Chor: Seraphim Standen über Ihm/ Above him stood the Seraphim; Holy is God the Lord (Engeln, Chor/Angels, Choir)
44:07, Nr.36 Chor und Rezitativ: Gehe Wiederum Hinab! /Go, return upon thy way! I go on my way (Elias, Chor/ Elijah, Choir)
45:31, Nr.37 Arioso: Ja, Es Sollen Wohl Berge Weichen/ For the mountains shall depart (Elias/ Elijah)
47:58, Nr.38 Chor: Und Der Prophet Elias Brach Hervor Wie Ein Feuer/ Then did Elijah the prophet break forth
50:59, Nr.39 Arie: Dann Werden Die Gerechten Leuchten/ Then shall the righteous shine forth (Tenor)
53:45, Nr.40 Rezitativ: Darum Ward Gesendet/ Behold, God hath sent Elijah (Ein Engel/ An Angel) -
55:02, Nr.41 Chor: Aber Einer Erwacht von Mitternacht/ But the Lord, from the north hath raised one -
58:31, Nr.41 Quartett (SATB): Wohlan, Alle Die Ihr Durstig Seid/ O come everyone that thirsteth, O come to the waters
1:01:59, Nr.42 Chor: Alsdann Wird Euer Licht hervorbrechen wie die Morgenröte/
And then shall your light break forth as the light of morning breaketh
ELIJAH, Op.70 - Text and Translations: German; English.
www.cpdl.org/wiki/index.php/Elijah
"MENDELSSOHN completed and had the first performance of 'Elijah' in 1846, the year before he died at the young age of 38. It was the last major work he finished before his death."
HISTORICAL NARRATIVE
Elijah is a much more traditional Oratorio than 'Messiah' in that it contains an historical narrative of the events in the life of the biblical character 'Elijah'. It is interesting that Mendelssohn should choose such a subject as he was a Jew converted to Christianity and a rather mild-mannered man, yet 'Elijah' is one of the most vengeful and fiercest of the Prophets. However, being raised a Jew, Mendelssohn was certainly familiar with the story (shared by Jews and Christians alike) and he may have related the Old Testament leader to his hope for a modern political leader: In a letter in 1838 to his friend Schubring (collaborator on the libretto) he wrote, "I imagined 'Elijah' as a real Prophet through and through, of the kind we could really do with today: Strong, zealous and yes, even bad-tempered, angry and brooding-in contrast to the riff-raff, whether of the court or of the people, and indeed at odds with almost the whole world-and yet borne aloft as if on angels' wings."
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