Holy fuck, 9 months. We did Elijah my freshman year of undergrad and learned/memorized the last 6-ish minutes for our Christmas concert. The entire rest of it was learned between March and April, and a few rehearsal in February probably
The way Mendelssohn uses the violin to add shading and accent is incredible. His string instrumentation is consistently glorious. Thank you so much for sharing.
Really beautiful and exceptional, and incredibly grand music: thank you for sharing. The Prophet Elijah is rightly honored. A grand music to represent a grand Prophet!
Wasn't he (Elijah) translated? Without tasting death; according to the received text, few be with the Saviour until the resurrection unto eternal life at His second coming. Blessings--in Christ!
Thank you for this thoughtful performance. This is my favorite oratorio. I was privileged to sing the Elijah role many years ago with choir and orchestra with a college and community choir and orchestra. At the time, I was studying with Dr. Marion Hall at Drake University.
I sang alto in this in a high school I attended in the 70s and cannot remember what it sounded like now so listening to this to see if I can recall any of it! How does one forget?
It is a wonderful experience! I once had the very small--but challenging--role of The Youth. I had to travel from Montreal to Plattsburgh because the symphony did not have a treble . Everything went wonderfully, but my voice broke about a week afterward. Talk about cutting it close! 😂
Wow, there's such beautiful dexterity, diversity, and density of tone as well as instrumentation. The musicians play so skillfully and the composition is heavenly and sublime.
Forgive me: a musician, singer--I noticed the applause protocol for the soloists and instrumentalists was there; but no recognition of the chorus? Hope they've been acknowledged by the end of the second movement. Blessings--in Christ.
A blissful evening listening to this and moving with it body and mind. Thanks, McGill. I sang in it in in Kodaikanal, a mountain town in South India where in Season we had many missionaries and other foreigners who could sing- foreigners. And we did Mendelssohn's St Paul too, which I later conducted with a group of foreigners working in Bangladesh-- if you can believe it!
A beautiful performance of a work that I love - and know so well - thank you for posting! 🇺🇦 (sorry that I'm over three years late in posting this comment!)
@ John Swartz: Well, you should have gone to the Chorus Director and asked him or her if they agreed with your voice teacher. I suspect they would not. With my experience with voice teachers (I studied with two), everything is about screaming opera with excessive wobbling vibrato (often used to cover up pitch and vocal problems), even with the Chorus. In this performance, fortunately the Chorus sings with perfect intonation (a term that opera has never heard). Elias is a sacred, dramatic oratorio, having nothing to do with opera. Opera involves costuming and scenery. Oratorio has none of that. Just because "opera divas" are often dragged in to scream out the solo passages -- rather than used the best choristers for those parts -- most people confuse oratorio with opera, unfortunately.
@@danmoran454 the choral director has little to do with the soloists. If you believe opera is merely screaming you have no idea of the art form that opera is. I said with great emotion as a singer/musician you must be aware that I still have to sing paying attention to the dynamics written by the composer. Emotions does not mean screaming. The conductor of the work is not the choral director.
@@johnswartz9687 Unfortunately, you missed my point entirely. I know, from my extensive Orchestra Chorus experience, that the Chorus Director has nothing to do with the soloists. The soloists (screamers) are chosen either by the conductor or orchestral management. My point was to get a different point of view from someone other than your/a voice teacher. No, I don't consider opera an art form whatsoever but that has been brainwashed into many people nevertheless, and in some cases opera is not even music. Screaming is not equal to music. Often "opera" is a stage full of screamers trying to out-scream each other and a Chorus that usually is not singing with perfect intonation -- one of the foundations of choral excellence -- as if they've never heard the term. I think of the soloists in Beethoven's Ninth (a symphony, not opera but the soloists are usually from the opera genre) and they sound like a train wreck. One trying to out-scream the other. Usually the soprano screamer wins out. I agree that emotion does not mean screaming -- it should not -- but many opera divas fail to understand that as they scream at the top of their lungs, often using wobbling vibrato to cover up pitch and vocal problems. You can't even tell what pitch they're aiming for. Usually, the conductor of the work is not the Chorus Director. That is true, only on rare occasions, which is one of the main complaints of Chorus Directors. They rarely get to conduct the performance.
@@johnswartz9687 I meant to say yesterday that your voice teacher has nothing to do with the soloists chosen either -- so why would you care what s/he says? -- just like the Chorus Director doesn't.
@@johnswartz9687 Well said. Your voice teacher was right about the emotion needed to sing this, and the emotion required for opera, one of the great art forms. It's inevitable that not everyone will feel its beauty, and many people judge without even trying, and come up with the old cliches, usually based on past generations when excess vibrato was king, not even aware of current opera artists. The loss is theirs.
Usually I think Mendelssohn's music is played too fast---but here, speed helps. I advise everyone to listen to this piece at 1.25 speed. Sounds better. OOtherwise it drags---especially that intro. Tempo is everything , folks.
I'm not sure I agree. Mendelssohn used tempo carefully to create mood and contrast. The Ahab recitative, punctuated by the frenetic violin and deeper strings, setting up and foreshadowing not only the battle with the Prophets of Baal but also the fleeing from Jezebel, loses its force at 1.25x. Elijah's broken depression in Take my Life doesn't really communicate the depths Mendelssohn brought to the part. I agree: to a modern audience, it may drag. But to the original audience, this has them in the edge of their seats. I'm biased. I love this, maybe more than The Seasons, the Messiah or even The Planets. I still cheer at the Conflict between Baal and God and Go Up Now Child and Look Toward the Sea. It's just marvelous
174 years old and still underrated! Thank you!
Absolutely underrated. The intricacies of the score still amaze me almost 40 years after I first heard it
We did Elijah when I was in undergrad. It took us 9 months of rehearsals. It was agony. And I loved it.
9 MONTHS? Wow!
Holy fuck, 9 months. We did Elijah my freshman year of undergrad and learned/memorized the last 6-ish minutes for our Christmas concert. The entire rest of it was learned between March and April, and a few rehearsal in February probably
bro
Sorry it’s me Daniel a kid
The way Mendelssohn uses the violin to add shading and accent is incredible. His string instrumentation is consistently glorious. Thank you so much for sharing.
Excellent performance, high-quality singing and playing. Mendelssohn is my favorite, his music is lovely.
BEAUTIFUL MUSIC, MY COLLEGE CHOIR SANG THIS WONDERFUL MUSIC.
Really beautiful and exceptional, and incredibly grand music: thank you for sharing. The Prophet Elijah is rightly honored. A grand music to represent a grand Prophet!
Wasn't he (Elijah) translated? Without tasting death; according to the received text, few be with the Saviour until the resurrection unto eternal life at His second coming. Blessings--in Christ!
@@fredrickearl6687True
Absolutely, bravo
Thank you for this thoughtful performance. This is my favorite oratorio. I was privileged to sing the Elijah role many years ago with choir and orchestra with a college and community choir and orchestra. At the time, I was studying with Dr. Marion Hall at Drake University.
To perform this masterpiece and be a part of it is an incredible pleasure!
I sang alto in this in a high school I attended in the 70s and cannot remember what it sounded like now so listening to this to see if I can recall any of it! How does one forget?
Father sang in the Elijah chorus when I was a boy. I still LOVE it! Thanksgiving blessings--in Christ!
Wish I had dad's copy of the score: OR SUBTITLES FOR THE MESSAGE IN WORD.
It is a wonderful experience! I once had the very small--but challenging--role of The Youth. I had to travel from Montreal to Plattsburgh because the symphony did not have a treble . Everything went wonderfully, but my voice broke about a week afterward. Talk about cutting it close! 😂
Wow, there's such beautiful dexterity, diversity, and density of tone as well as instrumentation. The musicians play so skillfully and the composition is heavenly and sublime.
Forgive me: a musician, singer--I noticed the applause protocol for the soloists and instrumentalists was there; but no recognition of the chorus? Hope they've been acknowledged by the end of the second movement. Blessings--in Christ.
Dramatic ,Moving Beautiful. Thank you everyone especially All Praise to God.
So many memories from college choir..beautiful story of Elijah!
A blissful evening listening to this and moving with it body and mind. Thanks, McGill. I sang in it in in Kodaikanal, a mountain town in South India where in Season we had many missionaries and other foreigners who could sing- foreigners. And we did Mendelssohn's St Paul too, which I later conducted with a group of foreigners working in Bangladesh-- if you can believe it!
Kodi was such a wonderful place for all kinds of music Clarence!
A beautiful performance of a work that I love - and know so well - thank you for posting! 🇺🇦 (sorry that I'm over three years late in posting this comment!)
Wonderful performance!
No.8 22:40
Thank you for sharing good music!
Bravo! Awesome Performance!
awesome performance......... God bless
This is so nice, respect to Mendelssohn for composing this and to the people who performed it
One of the most beautiful and moving pieces of music ever written. THANK YOU!
Amazing!
Goosebumps!!!
1:53:40 Then shall the Righteous Shine Forth.....in memory of Gordon Bell, Barrow in Furness Salvation Army.
Mendelssohn was merely the vessel
Mendelsssohn GENIUS !! Supreme performance❤
My voice teacher always said you have to sing this part with great emotion. This is almost damn opera kid
@ John Swartz: Well, you should have gone to the Chorus Director and asked him or her if they agreed with your voice teacher. I suspect they would not. With my experience with voice teachers (I studied with two), everything is about screaming opera with excessive wobbling vibrato (often used to cover up pitch and vocal problems), even with the Chorus. In this performance, fortunately the Chorus sings with perfect intonation (a term that opera has never heard). Elias is a sacred, dramatic oratorio, having nothing to do with opera. Opera involves costuming and scenery. Oratorio has none of that. Just because "opera divas" are often dragged in to scream out the solo passages -- rather than used the best choristers for those parts -- most people confuse oratorio with opera, unfortunately.
@@danmoran454 the choral director has little to do with the soloists. If you believe opera is merely screaming you have no idea of the art form that opera is. I said with great emotion as a singer/musician you must be aware that I still have to sing paying attention to the dynamics written by the composer. Emotions does not mean screaming. The conductor of the work is not the choral director.
@@johnswartz9687 Unfortunately, you missed my point entirely. I know, from my extensive Orchestra Chorus experience, that the Chorus Director has nothing to do with the soloists. The soloists (screamers) are chosen either by the conductor or orchestral management. My point was to get a different point of view from someone other than your/a voice teacher. No, I don't consider opera an art form whatsoever but that has been brainwashed into many people nevertheless, and in some cases opera is not even music. Screaming is not equal to music. Often "opera" is a stage full of screamers trying to out-scream each other and a Chorus that usually is not singing with perfect intonation -- one of the foundations of choral excellence -- as if they've never heard the term. I think of the soloists in Beethoven's Ninth (a symphony, not opera but the soloists are usually from the opera genre) and they sound like a train wreck. One trying to out-scream the other. Usually the soprano screamer wins out. I agree that emotion does not mean screaming -- it should not -- but many opera divas fail to understand that as they scream at the top of their lungs, often using wobbling vibrato to cover up pitch and vocal problems. You can't even tell what pitch they're aiming for. Usually, the conductor of the work is not the Chorus Director. That is true, only on rare occasions, which is one of the main complaints of Chorus Directors. They rarely get to conduct the performance.
@@johnswartz9687 I meant to say yesterday that your voice teacher has nothing to do with the soloists chosen either -- so why would you care what s/he says? -- just like the Chorus Director doesn't.
@@johnswartz9687 Well said. Your voice teacher was right about the emotion needed to sing this, and the emotion required for opera, one of the great art forms. It's inevitable that not everyone will feel its beauty, and many people judge without even trying, and come up with the old cliches, usually based on past generations when excess vibrato was king, not even aware of current opera artists. The loss is theirs.
Tis superb ✌️
Amazinh Performances .Many thanks for to share this !!!!
Usually I think Mendelssohn's music is played too fast---but here, speed helps. I advise everyone to listen to this piece at 1.25 speed. Sounds better. OOtherwise it drags---especially that intro. Tempo is everything , folks.
I'm not sure I agree. Mendelssohn used tempo carefully to create mood and contrast. The Ahab recitative, punctuated by the frenetic violin and deeper strings, setting up and foreshadowing not only the battle with the Prophets of Baal but also the fleeing from Jezebel, loses its force at 1.25x. Elijah's broken depression in Take my Life doesn't really communicate the depths Mendelssohn brought to the part. I agree: to a modern audience, it may drag. But to the original audience, this has them in the edge of their seats.
I'm biased. I love this, maybe more than The Seasons, the Messiah or even The Planets. I still cheer at the Conflict between Baal and God and Go Up Now Child and Look Toward the Sea. It's just marvelous
WONDERFUL, JUST WONDERFUL 🙏🙏
Alleluia!!!
Amen.
12:00
Wow...❤❤
Simply sublime. (Tough on the conductor having to wave arms around for 2 hours.)
1:00:07
Woe
It is enough...
Whence cometh my help
1:22:07