Mendelssohn: Elijah, Op. 70
(sung in German)
Ruth Ziesak (soprano), Claudia Mahnke (mezzo-soprano), Christoph Genz (tenor), Ralf Lukas (bass) & Luise Müller (treble - CD 1)
MDR Symphony Orchestra & MDR Radio Choir, Jun Märkl
This is in every way a 'big' Elijah. Climaxes are full-blooded from both orchestra and chorus, and in the narrative sections conductor Jun Märkl brings out the drama with telling use of contrasts...
Mendelssohn: Elijah, Op. 70
(sung in German)
Ruth Ziesak (soprano), Claudia Mahnke (mezzo-soprano), Christoph Genz (tenor), Ralf Lukas (bass) & Luise Müller (treble - CD 1)
MDR Symphony Orchestra & MDR Radio Choir, Jun Märkl
Purchase product
This is in every way a 'big' Elijah. Climaxes are full-blooded from both orchestra and chorus, and in the narrative sections conductor Jun Märkl brings out the drama with telling use of contrasts...
About
Mendelssohn’s magnificent oratorio Elijah brings to life the tumultuous times and personal drama of the Biblical prophet in a sweeping series of recitatives, arias and choruses in which the composer’s Romantic genius drew deeply from the wellsprings of Bach and Handel.
In this new recording (sung in German) Jun Märkl, one of the most notable conductors of his generation, leads an outstanding cast of soloists headed by Ralf Lukas, and Germany’s longest-standing radio symphony orchestra and its acclaimed choir.
Contents and tracklist
- Christoph Genz (tenor), Ralf Lukas (bass), Luise Muller (treble), Ruth Ziesak (soprano), Claudia Mahnke (mezzo-soprano)
- MDR Sinfonieorchester, Leipzig MDR Radio Choir
- Jun Märkl
- Recorded: December 2008 - January 2009
- Recording Venue: MDR Studio Augustusplatz, Germany
Awards and reviews
December 2010
This is in every way a 'big' Elijah. Climaxes are full-blooded from both orchestra and chorus, and in the narrative sections conductor Jun Märkl brings out the drama with telling use of contrasts in both texture and tempo. Most important of all, Ralf Lukas's Elijah is the impatient, hot-tempered prophet imagined by Mendelssohn
January 2011
there is a keen sense of the drama unfolding in front of one's eyes, and an unfailingly musical quality to Jun Märkl's directing that is enormously satisfying.
8th October 2010
...this excellent performance of Mendelssohn’s great Biblical oratorio thrills both in the surges of choral glory and in the moments of tender reflection. Tenor Genz’s lyrical singing of the aria known in English as If With All Your Hearts alerts you early to the quality of the performance.
