Elijah

The programme features Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy's oratorio Elijah, Op. 70. It will be performed by the Lower Silesian Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Agnieszka Franków-Żelazny, with the following soloists and choirs:

• Hanna Sosnowska-Bill, soprano
• Aleksandra Opała, mezzo-soprano
• Sebastian Mach, tenor
• Paweł Konik, bass/baritone
• Wrocław Women's Choir
• Men's Vocal Ensemble “I Signori”

The choirs were prepared by Izabela Polakowska-Rybska.

The oratorio was composed just one year before the composer's death. Some regard it as the greatest achievement of Mendelssohn's output. His role in restoring the works of the Leipzig cantor to concert repertoires also influenced his own composing. Elijah follows the form of a Baroque oratorio, modelled on works by Handel and Bach, but Mendelssohn's own idiom is audible throughout.

The oratorio is built on simple recitatives, arias and choruses. The composer interweaves them with more experimental forms. The fugal overture moves attacca into the opening Hilf, Herr!, preceded by Elijah's dramatic outcry. The choir, which acts as the people and commentator, is incorporated into the recitatives, a function drawn from the tradition of ancient theatre.