ELIJAH – an ORATORIO, Opus 70
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FELIX MENDELSSOHN-BARTHOLDY (1809 – 1847) ELIJAH – AN ORATORIO, opus 70 CHARACTERS Elijah (baritone): HAROLD WILLIAMS With The Wireless Singers, Obadiah (tenor): PARRY JONES Berkeley Mason (organ), Angel (alto): CLARA SERENA Angel / Widow (soprano): ISOBEL BAILLIE The BBC National Chorus and, Ahab (bass-baritone): TOM PURVIS Orchestra Conducted by Stanford Robinson The Wireless Singers in 1932 DISC 1 1. Introduction: As God the Lord Harold Williams 0.52 2. Overture Orchestra 2:26 3. Chorus: Help! Lord! Chorus 2:49 4. Recit: The Deeps Afford No Water/ Air: Lord, Bow thine Ear Serena, Baillie, Chorus 2:37 5. Recit: Ye People Rend your Hearts/ Air: If with All your Hearts Parry Jones 3:29 6. Chorus: Yet doth the Lord See it Not Chorus 3:01 7. Recit: Elijah, Get thee Hence / Air: For He shall give him Angels Clara Serena, Wireless Singers 3:15 8. Duet: What have I to do with Thee? Isobel Baillie, Harold Williams 6:02 9. Chorus: Blessed are the Men Chorus 2:49 10. Recit/ Air: As God the Lord of Sabaoth Williams, Purvis, Chorus 3:26 11. Chorus: Baal, we Cry to Thee Chorus 2:55 12. Recit. And Chorus: Call him Louder Harold Williams, Chorus 2:32 13. Recit. and Air: Lord God of Abraham Harold Williams 3:27 14. Quartet: Cast thy Burden Quartet (S,A,T,B) 1:22 15. Recit: O Thou who Makest / Chorus: The Fire Descends from Heaven Harold Williams, Chorus 1:59 16. Recit: Take all the Prophets of Baal / Air: Is not His Word? Harold Williams, Chorus 2:09 17. Air: Woe unto Them Clara Serena 2:47 18. Recit: O Lord thou hast Overthrown Harold Williams, Chorus 2:35 19. Chorus: Thanks be to God Harold Williams, Chorus 4:07 DISC 2 1. Air: Hear ye, Israel Isobel Baillie 5:56 2. Chorus: Be not Afraid Chorus 3:13 3. Recit: Man of God Parry Jones 1:53 4. Air: It is Enough Harold Williams 4:36 5. Trio: Lift thine Eyes / Chorus: He, Watching over Israel Trio and Chorus 3:20 6. Air: O Rest in the Lord Clara Serena 3:05 7. Recit: Night Falleth around Me Harold Williams, Isobel Baillie 1:22 8. Chorus: Behold! The Lord Passed By Chorus 3:37 9. Recit: Above Him stood the Seraphim/ Chorus: Holy, Holy, Holy Quartet, Chorus 1:52 10. Recit: I Go on my Way Harold Williams 0:48 11. Chorus: Then did Elijah the Prophet Chorus 2:27 12. Air: Then shall the Righteous Parry Jones 2:47 13. Chorus: And Then shall your Light Chorus 3:01 Total CD durations: Disc 1: 54:40 Disc 2: 37:58 Jakob Ludwig Felix Mendelssohn, cantata. In addition to settings of psalms, grandson of the distinguished Jewish thinker which include a setting of Psalm 100, Moses Mendelssohn, (the additional surname Jauchzet den Herrn (Praise the Lord) and Bartholdy was adopted on his conversion to sacred and secular cantatas, Mendelssohn Christianity), was born in 1809 in Hamburg, wrote a number of choral songs and a larger the son of a banker. The family moved to quantity of solo songs, a pleasing addition to Berlin, where Mendelssohn was brought up, the repertoire of German song, intended for able to associate with a cultured circle of intimate social gatherings rather than the family friends. He was associated with the concert hall. In the field of oratorio, revival of public interest in the music of however, he unquestionably triumphed. Johann Sebastian Bach and in the early 1830s travelled abroad for his education, ELIJAH is perhaps the most dramatic spending time in Italy and also visiting classical oratorio ever written, and following England, Wales and Scotland. He was later the earlier St. Paul, established Mendelssohn, conductor of the Gewandhaus Orchestra in in Britain at least, as the true successor to Leipzig, where he also established a Handel. Like his orchestral music, the charm Conservatory, his stay there interrupted of the work lies in its lyricism and strength briefly by a return to Berlin. He died in of orchestral colour, used in picturesque and Leipzig in 1847. Prolific and precocious, effective means to convey the drama. The Mendelssohn had many gifts, musically as first performance was given in London in composer, conductor and pianist. His style of 1846, and Victorian England took the work composition combined something of the to its heart immediately, and to this day economy of means of the classical period Elijah and Messiah remain cornerstones of with the romanticism of a later age. the choral repertoire, enjoying numerous performances every year by professional and Mendelssohn wrote a number of works for amateur choral societies alike. The text of the possible church use, both Protestant and English version, from Biblical sources, was Catholic. Of these the best known must be written by W. Bartholomew. Hear my prayer, a favourite with boy trebles, and immortalised in the famous recording by Telling of the triumph of fate over the forces Ernest Lough. The carol Hark, the Herald of evil, the story of the prophet Elijah is used Angels Sing was adapted by W. H. to convey a warning to the wicked and the Cummings from a chorus in a secular hope of salvation for the righteous. With the original 78 rpm records used for this CD, necessary for the purpose of recording, the was the text of a sermon written, probably in utmost care has been exercised and only such the early 1930s, by the records’ clergyman excisions made as competent judges have agreed owner, who seems to have been rather ahead as permissible. In all cases the omissions are of his time in presenting his sermon with indicated (as they are here – see text), and musical illustrations. He says: “This evening comparison with the vocal score will show the exact passages not here included”. Andrew the story of Elijah is going to be told to us in Rose, transfer engineer, comments on the music. If you listen, you will find that the process: music tells you as much about the story as the words. Ahab had led practically the “The transfer of these discs presented perhaps the whole of Israel to worship Baal, and the lives greatest challenge I’ve ever faced from a set of of people, like Elijah, who still worshipped 78rpm discs. Things started very promisingly – by the Lord God of Moses, were in danger. It using a relatively narrow-profile stylus I was able to was the task of Elijah, God’s prophet, to go get a good, clean transfer of a number of the sides. to Ahab and rebuke him for his evil ways However, I did notice an increasing tendency towards quite nasty swishing, more than would be and tell him of punishments which would digitally treatable. Using a broader stylus made follow if he did not repent”. matters worse, so I started to dig deeper, and I had to use the narrowest stylus I’ve ever encountered for THE RECORDING – TECHNICAL NOTE 78rpm playback in order to get the best sound reproduction. This has the unavoidable side-effect of This was the first ever substantially complete introducing more crackle to the audio, which is still recording of Elijah to be made. It was made noticeable in some passages, but is far less annoying between 25 February and 8 March 1930 at than the dreadful swishing I’d heard earlier. Central Hall, Westminster, London and released Wherever possible I’ve crossfaded between stylii in April 1930, on Columbia’s dark blue label on midway during sides to maintain maximum sound 15 10-inch discs. The set remained in the quality. Despite these difficulties we felt the catalogue until February 1948. The matrix performances all merited the work required in numbers and exact recording dates are given putting this recording together, finding the overall below, not in the track list, as the tracks on this musical quality quickly dispelling any minor queries CD do not match the “somewhat arbitrary” side about sound quality. I’d like to offer a big thank you breaks on the original discs. While to Expert Stylus Ltd. of Ashtead, Surrey, for their “substantially complete”, some cuts were made, priceless advice and tireless work in providing ever slimmer stylii in order for us to complete this and we quote from the original 1930 programme project.” note; “In the slight abridgment of the work Columbia Masterworks Album no. 133 Recording session details. The final digit of each matrix number denoted the take used in the published set. (also released in auto-coupled format as DB 8000-8014). DB49: WA10140-1 2.3.1930 DB57: WA10178-1 8.3.1930 WA10156-2 5.3.1930 WA10179-2 8.3.1930 DB50: WA10135-2 1.3.1930 DB58: WA10115-2 25.2.1930 WA10112-1 25.2.1930 WA10118-1 26.2.1930 DB51: WA10157-3 5.3.1930 DB59: WA10158-2 5.3.1930 WA10133-2 1.3.1930 WA10141-1 3.3.1930 DB52: WA10119-2 26.2.1930 DB60: WA10142-3 3.3.1930 WA10120-2 26.2.1930 WA10134-1 1.3.1930 DB53: WA10162-2 6.3.1930 DB61: WA10169-2 7.3.1930 WA10113-2 25.2.1930 WA10116-2 25.2.1930 DB54: WA10163-2 6.3.1930 DB62: WA10145-2 4.3.1930 WA10143-2 4.3.1930 WA10180-1 8.3.1930 DB55: WA10170-2 7.3.1930 DB63: WA10117-1 25.2.1930 WA10144-1 4.3.1930 WA10164-2 6.3.1930 DB56: WA10114-1 25.2.1930 WA10171-2 7.3.1930 ________ THE PERFORMERS on the set were style of singing, and she also found success among the top recording stars of their day, on the operatic stage.