Mendelssohn's Elijah

This vivid, dramatic tale of the Old Testament prophet by a popular Romantic composer is told in surprisingly modern music.

Moving from triumph to despair, it offers a musical snapshot of the human condition and asks if the woes of a nation are the responsibility of its people.

The prophet Elijah is portrayed as a complex human being who succumbs to despair even while knowing that he is in the right.

Showing compassion to a mother with a dying child, he can also be commanding. His battle for the soul of the nation exhausts him even though he emerges the winner.

In this exceptional music, Mendelssohn is at a high point of his creative powers.

The English Arts Chorale and Orchestra, under their inspirational conductor Leslie Olive, bring the story to life.