Elijah, Op. 70 [Elias] (complete, in German)

"...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."
Daily Telegraph

"The main part of the Overture is given real dramatic thrust leading to the great entry of the chorus. From then on the whole work emerges in all its varied character. The soloists are well chosen, with fresh sounding voices as well as the ability to characterise all aspects of the music. The chorus are good if possibly a little heavy at times, but the real hero of the set is the orchestra which performs with the kind of clarity, energy and transparency so essential in Mendelssohn. I suspect that much of this is down to the conductor, Jun Märkl, who sets tempi that feel just right." (MusicWeb Dec 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"
(BBC Music)

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.