Kirill Petrenko

Programme

Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy
Elijah - Oratorio for soloists, choir and orchestra, op. 70

Kirill Petrenko, Conductor

Maria Bengtsson, Soprano (Die Witwe)

Wiebke Lehmkuhl, Alto

Maximilian Schmitt, Tenor

Georg Zeppenfeld, Bass (Elias)

Chor des Bayerischen Rundfunks

Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks

about the programme

In the figure of Elijah, Mendelssohn sought to portray a prophet who was “strong and zealous, but also evil, irate and sinister”. Elijah was meant to be a flesh-and-blood human being who undergoes a radical conversion and reaches the limits of human existence. He takes the form of a militant fanatic, a resigned sceptic and finally a man of divine inspiration. The oratorio, with its protean hero, is pervaded by an unrelenting arc of tension in which Mendelssohn creates spectacular scenes of almost visceral theatricality. Listeners are virtually thrust into its various episodes – the famine, the miracles of fire and rain, the enraged masses or the prophet’s final ascension to heaven. Following his brilliant tenure at the Bavarian State Opera, Kirill Petrenko is now returning to Munich with Elijah. With his feeling for the subtle illumination of musical drama, we can be sure of hearing a rousing rendition of Mendelssohn’s oratorio.

live on the radio

BR-KLASSIK will broadcast the concert on Friday live on the radio.