“Strong, zealous and, yes, even bad-tempered, angry and brooding” – that is how Felix Mendelssohn envisioned the biblical prophet Elijah, the protagonist of his oratorio of the same name. The composer dramatically portrays a man who struggles to bring the people back to the true faith – in vain, as he realizes in the end. Moving arias and vocal scenes as well as powerful choral writing make Mendelssohn’s oratorio one of the greatest religious works of the Romantic period. The outstanding baritone Christian Gerhaher will be heard as Elijah, conducted by Kirill Petrenko.
Berliner Philharmoniker
Kirill Petrenko conductor
Elsa Dreisig soprano
Wiebke Lehmkuhl contralto
Daniel Behle tenor
Christian Gerhaher bass
Rundfunkchor Berlin
Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy
Elijah, Oratorio, op. 70