Mendelssohn: Elias

A limited-edition 55-CD set of legendary and critically acclaimed recordings celebrating the famous PHILIPS heritage. An alliance of great artistry and superb sound. Classic-status albums spanning over half a century of recording and showcasing a wealth of international talent.
An unrivaled collection that that embraces all musical genres - from solo piano and chamber music through to large scale choral works and opera.

Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy - Elias
Christine Schäfer / Bach-Collegium Stuttgart / Gächinger Kantorei Stuttgart / Helmuth Rilling
2xCD | EAC+LOG+CUE | FLAC: 507 MB | Full Artwork: 316 MB | 5% Recovery Info
Label/Cat#: hänssler classic # CD 98.928 | Country/Year: Germany 1994
Genre: Classical | Style: Romantic, Vocal, Sacred, Oratory

"Helmuth Rilling realisiert die stilistische Spannweite der Chöre vom nazarenischen a cappella über impressionistische Koloristik, einem fast Brahms'schen Sentiment, bis zur dramatischen Wucht vollkommen."~FonoForum

Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy’s oratorio Elias Op. 70 was premiered in 1846 at the Birmingham Festival. It depicts the life of the prophet Elijah, taken from the books 1 and 2 Kings of the Old Testament. While it was composed in the spirit of Mendelssohn’s Baroque predecessors Bach and Handel, its lyricism and use of orchestral and choral color clearly reflects Mendelssohn’s own genius as an early Romantic composer. Paulus Op. 36, written a decade earlier, was a popular work during Mendelssohn’s lifetime, but failed to maintain its stature in comparison to his other oratorios and the oratorios of Handel and Bach.

Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy - Elias: Oratorio on words of the Old Testament op. 70
Das Neue Orchester / Chorus Musicus Köln / Christoph Spering
2xCD | EAC+LOG+CUE | FLAC: 556 MB | Full Artwork: 203 MB | 5% Recovery Info
Label/Cat#: MDG "Live" # 602 1656-2 | Country/Year: Germany 2010
Genre: Classical | Style: Oratorio, Sacred, Romantic

…And, in fact, Elias has rarely been performed with greater respect for the original than it is here under the conductor Christoph Spering, who has recorded this “sacred opera” with his New Orchestra and the Chorus Musicus Köln in Essen’s Philharmonic Hall with the composer’s “dramatic ideal” fully in mind and heart. (…) The result was in fact an oratorio in opera form and a wealth of dramaturgical elements that absolutely enthralled the public. Fresh Interpretation Just as the composer would have wanted it, Christoph Spering has selected a full chorus and a magnificently dimensioned orchestra for this recording. The New Orchestra performs on historical instruments and in the two years since its founding has gained renown as an outstanding interpreter of the music of the romantic era. (…) Brisk tempos, sharp delineation, powerful expression, and interpretive freshness are the hallmarks of this new discovery for the MDG Live label.

Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy - Elias: Oratorio on words of the Old Testament op. 70
Das Neue Orchester / Chorus Musicus Köln / Christoph Spering
2xCD | EAC+LOG+CUE | FLAC: 556 MB | Full Artwork: 203 MB | 5% Recovery Info
Label/Cat#: MDG "Live" # 602 1656-2 | Country/Year: Germany 2010
Genre: Classical | Style: Oratorio, Sacred, Romantic

…And, in fact, Elias has rarely been performed with greater respect for the original than it is here under the conductor Christoph Spering, who has recorded this “sacred opera” with his New Orchestra and the Chorus Musicus Köln in Essen’s Philharmonic Hall with the composer’s “dramatic ideal” fully in mind and heart. (…) The result was in fact an oratorio in opera form and a wealth of dramaturgical elements that absolutely enthralled the public. Fresh Interpretation Just as the composer would have wanted it, Christoph Spering has selected a full chorus and a magnificently dimensioned orchestra for this recording. The New Orchestra performs on historical instruments and in the two years since its founding has gained renown as an outstanding interpreter of the music of the romantic era. (…) Brisk tempos, sharp delineation, powerful expression, and interpretive freshness are the hallmarks of this new discovery for the MDG Live label.

Sir Thomas Beecham's Messiah has become notorious among baroque purists (like this writer) for embodying the worst excesses of pre-1960 Handel performance: ponderous tempos, stentorian opera singers, huge lumbering choruses and orchestras, crashing cymbals, clanging triangles…. Well, we'll need a new straw man: this performance is Wonderful…