Mendelssohn’s Elijah

Mendelssohn’s powerful choral masterpiece brings to life some of the most dramatic moments in the Old Testament. Fire comes from the heavens, storms gather, and the people cry for vengeance. From the prophet’s curse of drought, to confronting an evil queen, to an ascent into heaven on a fiery chariot, Elijah is an extraordinary musical experience. Soloists Jamal Sarikoki, Olivia Vote, David Tayloe, Jessica Beebe, and Key Chorale will retell the story of a man’s devotion in one of the greatest oratorios ever written.

Concert length – 135 minutes, with intermission

PRESENTING SPONSOR
Gulf Coast Community Foundation – Samuel J. and Susan A. Campbell Charitable Fund
GUEST ARTISTS CO-SPONSORS
Bob Wennberg | Allen Batchelder
GUEST ARTISTS IN RESIDENCE CO-SPONSORS
John Daniels & JB Miller

What’s Interesting About This Concert

• Mendelssohn’s Elijah was given its premiere in 1846 to an ecstatic audience of 2,000 people. It had taken him some ten years to prepare, including penning most of the libretto himself. To quote a review in The Times shortly afterwards, ‘The last note of Elijah was drowned in a long-continued unanimous volley of plaudits, vociferous and deafening … never was there a more complete triumph, never a more thorough and speedy recognition of a great work of art.’
• Elijah is one of the most complex figures of the Old Testament. Significant for Christianity; he is also venerated by Jews and Muslims as a fighter against idolatry. In Judaism, he is also seen as the harbinger of the Messiah, which is why a cup is prepared for him at Passover in the event of the prophet’s appearance. Elijah’s spectacular ascension in a chariot of fire led to him becoming adopted as the patron saint of aviation.
• “Strong, zealous, even evil and angry and dark” – this is how Felix Mendelssohn imagined the biblical prophet Elijah, the protagonist of his oratorio of the same name. Elijah follows the biblical story of the Old Testament prophet Elijah. Elijah defeats the worshippers of the false god Baal and performs extraordinary miracles, culminating in his exile by the ruthless Queen Jezebel.

The Program

Elijah, PART 1 ~ Felix Mendelssohn

INTERMISSION

Elijah, PART 2 ~ Felix Mendelssohn