"Elijah" by Felix Mendelssohn

On Saturday 31^st March at 7.30 PM in the HG Wells Conference & Events Centre, Woking.

For their first concert in 2001 Woking Choral Society have chosen this work by Felix Mendelssohn, which has its roots in a biblical story of the old testament, when the prophet Elijah tried to turn the children of Israel away from their worship of Baal back to the God of Moses.

Mendelssohn first began thinking about a new oratorio featuring the prophet Elijah in 1836, but the subject was shelved several times because of disagreements with the people preparing the libretto. It was not until 1845 when the Birmingham Festival committee asked Mendelssohn to write a new oratorio that the work finally came to fruition. He wrote back accepting the commission and returned to Elijah with renewed enthusiasm mostly compiling the libretto himself this time. The work was an unprecedented success and was performed over and over again, including at the Three Choirs Festival.

Mendelssohn was born into a wealthy and cultured family. He was a precociously gifted child, so much so that the finest musicians of the day hailed him as a second Mozart, and by the time he had reached his mid-teens Mendelssohn had already composed a large number of mature works, including 12 string symphonies and his first symphony for full orchestra, written when he was only fifteen. He was sixteen when he wrote the String Octet, and the wonderful overture A Midsummer Night’s Dream followed a year later. Mozart had produced nothing remotely comparable by the same age. Mendelssohn’s extraordinary gifts were not confined to composition, however. He became a brilliant pianist and organist, a fine string player, an inspirational conductor, a good painter and was widely read.

Yet another dimension to Mendelssohn’s glittering career was his far-reaching influence as an organiser and administrator. He also made a major contribution to the revival of interest in Bach’s music, which at that time was virtually unknown to the general public. Mendelssohn was responsible for the first public performance of the St. Matthew Passion since Bach’s death, an event which probably did more than any other to stimulate renewed interest in his music. He visited England many times, where he was received with adulation, fêted by the press, and became a great favourite of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert.

During the years following the first world war, there developed a considerable reaction against Mendelssohn’s music, and Elijah almost disappeared from the choral repertoire. Thankfully, in recent years there has been a more balanced attitude to Mendelssohn and we can, once more, enjoy his music and, in particular, Elijah’s dramatic impact, epitomised by the vivid characterisation of Elijah himself.

(With excerpts from a text written by John Bawden)

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The soloists who will be performing for us on this occasion are, Linda Gerrard (soprano), Emily Bauer Jones (Mezzo-soprano), Joseph Cornwell (tenor), and Damian Thantrey (baritone). We will be singing, as usual, under the baton of Nicholas Steinitz and accompanied by the Cantata Orchestra..

Tickets: £10, £5 for students, £9 for parties of 10 or more,

available from the HG Wells Box Office, the Information Centre, Hammicks Bookshop and Surrey Music Store, all in the centre of Woking, and Britten’s Music, West Byfleet.

For further information contact 01483 829366 or 767852 or visit our Web site at www.wokingchoral.org.uk.

Reg. Charity no. 272451