Elijah

Mendelssohn’s glorious oratorio, Elijah, has been hugely popular from its first performance, leading some to call it the Messiah of its day and cementing his position as one of the greatest composers of sacred music.

Written in the spirit of his Baroque predecessors Bach and Handel – whose music he greatly admired – but clearly reflecting his own more Romantic style, Mendelssohn ended up also writing most of the text for the work. Rarely out of the standard repertoire for large choirs since its premiere, the work is in two parts and follows the biblical stories of the Prophet Elijah, including the resurrection of a dead youth, a contest of the gods, the bringing of rain to a parched Israel and the persecution of Elijah by Queen Jezebel.

We’re delighted to be joined for this concert by the University of East Anglia Chorus, conducted by Chorus Master of both ensembles Tom Primrose.

The University of East Anglia Choir was established in 1965, under Sir Phillip Ledger, who was UEA Director of Music until 1974. The choir is the largest of the university’s five choirs, numbering 140 voices and drawing its members from UEA students and staff, but welcoming many members of the local community too. Rehearsing weekly and performing three times a year Choir has, since 2010, been directed by Tom Primrose. Tom is the link between UEA and Cambridge Philharmonic and we are delighted to be collaborating in this cornerstone of the choral repertoire, and to be visiting Saffron Hall for what will be a memorable event.

UEA’s current Director of Music Stuart Dunlop says: ‘Elijah is a piece that our Choir will love to do. It is full of drama, colour and great choral singing and will be a very special event with such massed choral forces and a conductor in Tom Primrose who will bring the piece to technicolour life’