Mendelssohn: Elijah / Mccreesh, Connolly, Joshua, Murray, Keenlyside

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Label
Signum Classics
Release Date
January 1, 2012
Format
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    Featuring ⌄
    • COMPOSER
      MENDELSSOHN, FELIX
    • ORCHESTRA / ENSEMBLE
      Wroclaw Philharmonic Choir
    • PERFORMER
      Mccreesh, Gabrieli Consort And Players, Gabrieli Young Singers' Scheme
    Product Details ⌄
    • RELEASE DATE
      January 01, 2012
    • UPC
      635212030028
    • CATALOG NUMBER
      SIGCD300
    • LABEL
      Signum Classics
    • NUMBER OF DISCS
      2
    • GENRE
      Choral - Sacred
    Works ⌄

    1. Part I: Introduction: Recitative: As God the Lord of Israel liveth (Elijah)

      Composer: Felix Mendelssohn

      Ensemble: Gabrieli Consort and Players

      Performer: Simon Keenlyside

      Conductor: Paul McCreesh

    2. Part I: Overture

      Composer: Felix Mendelssohn

      Ensemble: Gabrieli Consort and Players

      Conductor: Paul McCreesh

    3. Part I: Help, Lord! Wilt Thou quite destroy us? (Chorus)

      Composer: Felix Mendelssohn

      Ensemble: NFM Wrocław Philharmonic Choir, Chetham's School of Music Chamber Choir, Taplow Youth Choir, Ulster Youth Chamber Choir, North East Youth Chorale, Gabrieli Consort and Players

      Conductor: Paul McCreesh

    4. Part I: Duet with Chorus: Lord! Bow Thine ear to our prayer! (Soprano, Contralto, Chorus)

      Composer: Felix Mendelssohn

      Ensemble: NFM Wrocław Philharmonic Choir, Chetham's School of Music Chamber Choir, North East Youth Chorale, Taplow Youth Choir, Ulster Youth Chamber Choir, Gabrieli Consort and Players

      Performer: Rosemary Joshua, Sarah Connolly, William Whitehead

      Conductor: Paul McCreesh

    5. Part I: Recitative: Ye people, rend you hearts (Obadiah)

      Composer: Felix Mendelssohn

      Ensemble: Gabrieli Consort and Players

      Performer: Robert Murray

      Conductor: Paul McCreesh

    6. Part I: Aria: If with all your hearts ye truly seek Me (Obadiah)

      Composer: Felix Mendelssohn

      Ensemble: Gabrieli Consort and Players

      Performer: Robert Murray, William Whitehead

      Conductor: Paul McCreesh

    7. Part I: Yet doth the Lord see it not (Chorus)

      Composer: Felix Mendelssohn

      Ensemble: NFM Wrocław Philharmonic Choir, Chetham's School of Music Chamber Choir, Taplow Youth Choir, Ulster Youth Chamber Choir, North East Youth Chorale, Gabrieli Consort and Players

      Conductor: Paul McCreesh

    8. Part I: Recitative: Elijah! Get thee hence (An Angel)

      Composer: Felix Mendelssohn

      Ensemble: Gabrieli Consort and Players

      Performer: Sarah Connolly, William Whitehead

      Conductor: Paul McCreesh

    9. Part I: For He shall give His angels charge over thee (Chorus)

      Composer: Felix Mendelssohn

      Ensemble: NFM Wrocław Philharmonic Choir, Chetham's School of Music Chamber Choir, Taplow Youth Choir, Ulster Youth Chamber Choir, North East Youth Chorale, Gabrieli Consort and Players

      Conductor: Paul McCreesh

    10. Part I: Recitative: Now Cherith's brook is dried up (An Angel)

      Composer: Felix Mendelssohn

      Ensemble: Gabrieli Consort and Players

      Performer: Sarah Connolly

      Conductor: Paul McCreesh

    11. Part I: Recitative, Aria and Duet: What have I to do with thee, O man of God? (The Widow, Elijah)

      Composer: Felix Mendelssohn

      Ensemble: Gabrieli Consort and Players

      Performer: Simon Keenlyside, Rosemary Joshua

      Conductor: Paul McCreesh

    12. Part I: Blessed are the men who fear Him (Chorus)

      Composer: Felix Mendelssohn

      Ensemble: NFM Wrocław Philharmonic Choir, Chetham's School of Music Chamber Choir, North East Youth Chorale, Taplow Youth Choir, Ulster Youth Chamber Choir, Gabrieli Consort and Players

      Performer: William Whitehead

      Conductor: Paul McCreesh

    13. Part I: Recitative: As God the Lord of Sabaoth liveth (Elijah, Chorus)

      Composer: Felix Mendelssohn

      Ensemble: NFM Wrocław Philharmonic Choir, Chetham's School of Music Chamber Choir, North East Youth Chorale, Taplow Youth Choir, Ulster Youth Chamber Choir, Gabrieli Consort and Players

      Performer: Simon Keenlyside, William Whitehead

      Conductor: Paul McCreesh

    14. Part I: Baal, we cry to thee (Chorus)

      Composer: Felix Mendelssohn

      Ensemble: NFM Wrocław Philharmonic Choir, Chetham's School of Music Chamber Choir, North East Youth Chorale, Taplow Youth Choir, Ulster Youth Chamber Choir, Gabrieli Consort and Players

      Performer: William Whitehead

      Conductor: Paul McCreesh

    15. Part I: Recitative: Call him louder, for he is a god! (Elijah, Chorus)

      Composer: Felix Mendelssohn

      Ensemble: NFM Wrocław Philharmonic Choir, Chetham's School of Music Chamber Choir, North East Youth Chorale, Taplow Youth Choir, Ulster Youth Chamber Choir, Gabrieli Consort and Players

      Performer: Simon Keenlyside, William Whitehead

      Conductor: Paul McCreesh

    16. Part I: Recitative: Call him louder! he heareth not (Elijah, Chorus)

      Composer: Felix Mendelssohn

      Ensemble: NFM Wrocław Philharmonic Choir, Chetham's School of Music Chamber Choir, North East Youth Chorale, Taplow Youth Choir, Ulster Youth Chamber Choir, Gabrieli Consort and Players

      Performer: Simon Keenlyside, William Whitehead

      Conductor: Paul McCreesh

    17. Part I: Aria: Lord God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel (Elijah)

      Composer: Felix Mendelssohn

      Ensemble: Gabrieli Consort and Players

      Performer: Simon Keenlyside

      Conductor: Paul McCreesh

    18. Part I: Chorale: Cast the burden upon the Lord (Angels)

      Composer: Felix Mendelssohn

      Ensemble: Gabrieli Consort and Players

      Performer: Rosemary Joshua, Sarah Connolly, Robert Murray, Simon Keenlyside

      Conductor: Paul McCreesh

    19. Part I: Recitative: O Thou, who makest Thine angels spirits (Elijah, Chorus)

      Composer: Felix Mendelssohn

      Ensemble: NFM Wrocław Philharmonic Choir, Chetham's School of Music Chamber Choir, North East Youth Chorale, Taplow Youth Choir, Ulster Youth Chamber Choir, Gabrieli Consort and Players

      Performer: Simon Keenlyside, William Whitehead

      Conductor: Paul McCreesh

    20. Part I: Aria: Is not His word like a fire (Elijah)

      Composer: Felix Mendelssohn

      Ensemble: Gabrieli Consort and Players

      Performer: Simon Keenlyside

      Conductor: Paul McCreesh

    21. Part I: Arioso: Woe unto them who forsake him! (Contralto)

      Composer: Felix Mendelssohn

      Ensemble: Gabrieli Consort and Players

      Performer: Sarah Connolly

      Conductor: Paul McCreesh

    22. Part I: Recitative: O man of God, help Thy people! (Tenor, Elijah, Chorus)

      Composer: Felix Mendelssohn

      Ensemble: NFM Wrocław Philharmonic Choir, Chetham's School of Music Chamber Choir, Taplow Youth Choir, Ulster Youth Chamber Choir, North East Youth Chorale, Gabrieli Consort and Players

      Performer: Robert Murray, Simon Keenlyside

      Conductor: Paul McCreesh

    23. Part I: Thanks be to God! (Chorus)

      Composer: Felix Mendelssohn

      Ensemble: NFM Wrocław Philharmonic Choir, Chetham's School of Music Chamber Choir, Taplow Youth Choir, Ulster Youth Chamber Choir, North East Youth Chorale, Gabrieli Consort and Players

      Conductor: Paul McCreesh

    24. Part II: Aria: Hear ye, Israel (Soprano)

      Composer: Felix Mendelssohn

      Ensemble: Gabrieli Consort and Players

      Performer: Rosemary Joshua

      Conductor: Paul McCreesh

    25. Part II: Be not afraid, saith God the Lord (Chorus)

      Composer: Felix Mendelssohn

      Ensemble: NFM Wrocław Philharmonic Choir, Chetham's School of Music Chamber Choir, Taplow Youth Choir, Ulster Youth Chamber Choir, North East Youth Chorale, Gabrieli Consort and Players

      Conductor: Paul McCreesh

    26. Part II: Recitative: The Lord hath exalted thee from among the people (Elijah, The Queen, Chorus)

      Composer: Felix Mendelssohn

      Ensemble: NFM Wrocław Philharmonic Choir, Chetham's School of Music Chamber Choir, North East Youth Chorale, Taplow Youth Choir, Ulster Youth Chamber Choir, Gabrieli Consort and Players

      Performer: Simon Keenlyside, Sarah Connolly

      Conductor: Paul McCreesh

    27. Part II: Woe to him, he shall perish (Chorus)

      Composer: Felix Mendelssohn

      Ensemble: NFM Wrocław Philharmonic Choir, Chetham's School of Music Chamber Choir, Taplow Youth Choir, Ulster Youth Chamber Choir, North East Youth Chorale, Gabrieli Consort and Players

      Conductor: Paul McCreesh

    28. Part II: Recitative: Man of God, now let my words be precious in thy sight (Obadiah, Elijah)

      Composer: Felix Mendelssohn

      Ensemble: Gabrieli Consort and Players

      Performer: Robert Murray, Simon Keenlyside

      Conductor: Paul McCreesh

    29. Part II: Aria: It is enough (Elijah)

      Composer: Felix Mendelssohn

      Ensemble: Gabrieli Consort and Players

      Performer: Simon Keenlyside

      Conductor: Paul McCreesh

    30. Part II: Recitative: See, now he sleepeth beneath a juniper tree (Tenor)

      Composer: Felix Mendelssohn

      Ensemble: Gabrieli Consort and Players

      Performer: Robert Murray

      Conductor: Paul McCreesh

    31. Part II: Trio: Lift thine eyes to the mountains

      Composer: Felix Mendelssohn

      Conductor: Paul McCreesh

    32. Part II: He, watching over Israel (Chorus)

      Composer: Felix Mendelssohn

      Ensemble: NFM Wrocław Philharmonic Choir, Chetham's School of Music Chamber Choir, North East Youth Chorale, Taplow Youth Choir, Ulster Youth Chamber Choir, Gabrieli Consort and Players

      Performer: William Whitehead

      Conductor: Paul McCreesh

    33. Part II: Recitative: Arise, Elijah, for thou hast a long journey before thee (The Angel, Elijah)

      Composer: Felix Mendelssohn

      Ensemble: Gabrieli Consort and Players

      Performer: Sarah Connolly, Simon Keenlyside, William Whitehead

      Conductor: Paul McCreesh

    34. Part II: Aria: O rest in the Lord (The Angel)

      Composer: Felix Mendelssohn

      Ensemble: Gabrieli Consort and Players

      Performer: Sarah Connolly

      Conductor: Paul McCreesh

    35. Part II: He that shall endure to the end, shall be saved (Chorus)

      Composer: Felix Mendelssohn

      Ensemble: NFM Wrocław Philharmonic Choir, Chetham's School of Music Chamber Choir, North East Youth Chorale, Taplow Youth Choir, Ulster Youth Chamber Choir, Gabrieli Consort and Players

      Performer: William Whitehead

      Conductor: Paul McCreesh

    36. Part II: Recitative: Night falleth round me, O Lord (Elijah)

      Composer: Felix Mendelssohn

      Ensemble: Gabrieli Consort and Players

      Performer: Simon Keenlyside

      Conductor: Paul McCreesh

    37. Part II: Behold! God the Lord passed by! (Chorus)

      Composer: Felix Mendelssohn

      Ensemble: NFM Wrocław Philharmonic Choir, Chetham's School of Music Chamber Choir, North East Youth Chorale, Taplow Youth Choir, Ulster Youth Chamber Choir, Gabrieli Consort and Players

      Performer: William Whitehead

      Conductor: Paul McCreesh

    38. Part II: Recitative and Chorus: Above him stood the Seraphim (Contralto)

      Composer: Felix Mendelssohn

      Performer: Sarah Connolly, William Whitehead

      Conductor: Paul McCreesh

    39. Part II: Holy, Holy, Holy is God (Chorus)

      Composer: Felix Mendelssohn

      Ensemble: NFM Wrocław Philharmonic Choir, Chetham's School of Music Chamber Choir, Taplow Youth Choir, Ulster Youth Chamber Choir, North East Youth Chorale

      Performer: William Whitehead

      Conductor: Paul McCreesh

    40. Part II: Go, return upon thy way! - Recitative: I go on my way in the strength of the Lord (Chorus, Elijah)

      Composer: Felix Mendelssohn

      Ensemble: NFM Wrocław Philharmonic Choir, Chetham's School of Music Chamber Choir, North East Youth Chorale, Taplow Youth Choir, Ulster Youth Chamber Choir, Gabrieli Consort and Players

      Performer: Simon Keenlyside

      Conductor: Paul McCreesh

    41. Part II: Arioso: For the mountains shall depart, and the hills be removed (Elijah)

      Composer: Felix Mendelssohn

      Ensemble: Gabrieli Consort and Players

      Performer: Simon Keenlyside

      Conductor: Paul McCreesh

    42. Part II: Then did Elijah the prophet break forth like a fire (Chorus)

      Composer: Felix Mendelssohn

      Ensemble: NFM Wrocław Philharmonic Choir, Chetham's School of Music Chamber Choir, North East Youth Chorale, Taplow Youth Choir, Ulster Youth Chamber Choir, Gabrieli Consort and Players

      Conductor: Paul McCreesh

    43. Part II: Aria: Then shall the righteous shine forth (Tenor)

      Composer: Felix Mendelssohn

      Ensemble: Gabrieli Consort and Players

      Performer: Robert Murray

      Conductor: Paul McCreesh

    44. Part II: Recitative: Behold, God hath sent Elijah the prophet (Soprano)

      Composer: Felix Mendelssohn

      Ensemble: Gabrieli Consort and Players

      Performer: Rosemary Joshua

      Conductor: Paul McCreesh

    45. Part II: But the Lord from the north hath raised one (Chorus)

      Composer: Felix Mendelssohn

      Ensemble: NFM Wrocław Philharmonic Choir, Chetham's School of Music Chamber Choir, North East Youth Chorale, Taplow Youth Choir, Ulster Youth Chamber Choir, Gabrieli Consort and Players

      Conductor: Paul McCreesh

    46. Part II: Quartet: O come everyone that thirsteth

      Composer: Felix Mendelssohn

      Ensemble: Gabrieli Consort and Players

      Performer: Rosemary Joshua, Sarah Connolly, Robert Murray, Simon Keenlyside

      Conductor: Paul McCreesh

    47. Part II: And then shall your light break forth (Chorus)

      Composer: Felix Mendelssohn

      Ensemble: NFM Wrocław Philharmonic Choir, Chetham's School of Music Chamber Choir, North East Youth Chorale, Taplow Youth Choir, Ulster Youth Chamber Choir, Gabrieli Consort and Players

      Conductor: Paul McCreesh




MENDELSSOHN Elijah • Paul McCreesh, cond; Rosemary Joshua (sop); Sarah Connolly (mez); Robert Murray (ten); Simon Keenlyside (bar); Jonty Ward (tr); Gabrieli Consort; Gabrieli Players; Wroc?aw P Ch; Chetham’s C Ch; North East Youth Ch; Taplow Youth Ch; Ulster Youth C Ch; William Whitehead (org) • SIGNUM SIGCD 300 (2 CDs: 135:58)


Period-performance practice is often loosely associated with smallish forces—but it doesn’t need to be; and although McCreesh happily claims responsibility for the first recording of St. Matthew Passion using a one-to-a-part vocal contingent, he’s also been interested in reproducing the blockbusters of the late 18th and early 19th centuries as they were first heard, with big choruses and surprisingly large period-instrument orchestras. He’s already given us The Creation and the Berlioz Requiem in recordings that approximate the forces of their premieres; now we get a period Elijah that’s modeled on the Birmingham first performance of 1846. What precisely does this mean? For the solo numbers, we have a hefty, but hardly unusual orchestral group. But to accompany the nearly 300-voice chorus, the strings are pumped up by half; woodwinds, trumpets, and drums are doubled; the ophicleide is tripled; and three serpents are thrown into the mix. The result is an orchestra of well more than a hundred. There are other big Elijah s out there, of course, but I suspect that there are none on quite this scale. I’ve heard the Mahler Eighth performed by a smaller crowd.


What’s the benefit, besides increased volume in the climaxes? Well, increased volume is not to be sneered at, but there’s a lot more. The alterations in orchestral size provide additional tonal and emotional variety; the period instruments (which include slide trumpets) provide unusual bursts of color (listen, for example to the tangy sting of the horn stabs in “Though thousands languish” or the gleam of the brass tone in “Baal, we cry to thee”). Most important, though, there’s an audible and striking shift in tonal balance. People often think of Mendelssohn’s music as light, with a treble tilt—and that’s true, say, of the Fourth Symphony or A Midsummer Night’s Dream . But it’s certainly not the case with this Elijah : McCreesh’s performance gives prominence to the bass lines—in part by the use of serpents to double the choral basses, in part by the presence of the extra ophicleides (one of which is a contrabass ophicleide, apparently the only one that still exists), in part by the use of the Birmingham organ (unfortunately dubbed in, but at least very effectively done) with its floor rattling “Grand Ophicleide” stop, in part by the use of so-called “Tower drums” (huge instruments that are in some cases tuned an octave lower). I suspect you’ve never heard the pedal point under the first choral entry so clearly; I suspect you’ve never heard “Thanks be to God!” played with such inevitable and overpowering accumulation of orchestral weight, and never heard it conclude with such depth of sound; I suspect you’ve never heard Elijah’s ascent into heaven or the final fugue thrown forth with such solidity. You might expect the weight to drag the music down; but despite the size and disposition of his forces, McCreesh manages to duplicate the energy and rhythmic vitality of the best small-group performances. If you think of Elijah as “Victorian”—in the loose sense of stodgy or sanctimonious—you’ll be disabused.


Not surprisingly, McCreesh offers an interpretation that stresses the dramatic. Tempos are generally mainstream, although he does resist the temptation to slow down in such moments as “He watching over Israel,” which can easily turn saccharine. I don’t mean to suggest that it’s unsubtle, much less that it lacks passages of exquisite beauty—listen to the glow in the second half of “Yet doth the Lord see it not” or the magic of the double quartet in “For He shall give His Angels charge” or the sweetness of “Blessed are the men who fear Him.” Still, you’re liable to remember this most for its unparalleled outbursts of power—for the huge sound of pleading on the first choral entry, for the overwhelming impact of the silences after “Hear and answer!,” for the shocking arrival of the fire from heaven (“Oh thou who makest”), for the sense of vastness of “Go, return upon thy way.”


As for the title role: If you’re looking for tender authority as Elijah cures the widow’s son, Keenlyside is your man; if, on the other hand, you’re looking for sheer venom as Elijah calls for the murder of the prophets of Baal, then Keenlyside is also your man. This is, simply put, a superbly rich characterization, one that captures, in glorious voice, all the expressive swings of the part. For a quick tour, try the handling of the tricky emotional terrain in “It is enough.”


The other soloists are all excellent: I especially appreciated Rosemary Joshua’s fiery purpose in “What have I to do with thee?” The chorus, which combines singers from Wroc?aw and from Britain, has a lot of younger voices: They sing with freshness, enthusiasm, and no sign of inexperience. The eight who have been picked out for the double quartet—and who are also called forth, in various combinations, for “Cast thy burden,” “Lift thine eyes,” and “Holy, holy, holy”—blend exquisitely. The orchestra is magnificent, too, and balances between soloists, orchestra, and chorus are consistently well judged.


Although I wish (as I did with their Berlioz Requiem) that we had been given a surround-sound version of this performance, the stereo engineering is first class. When you go to your shelf for a recording to demonstrate your new subwoofer, you’re not usually apt to pass by Mahler to reach for Mendelssohn; but this is surely an ideal release for that purpose. As with the Berlioz, it comes in a hard-cover book (fortunately, CD-sized, so it fits on your shelves) with detailed notes, full text, and plenty of photographs. One textual point: Mendelssohn revised the work significantly for the second performance, and McCreesh gives us the final version (with a bit of light editing to the words). This is clearly the right choice, and clearly the Elijah of choice. Want List material.


FANFARE: Peter J. Rabinowitz