Sydney Philharmonia Choirs' ChorusOz 2017

Sydney Philharmonia Choirs Presents

ChorusOz 2017: Felix Mendelssohn's 'ElIJAH'

11 June 2017, 5 P.M.  Sunday


At Sydney Philharmonia Choirs, it's that time of the year in June when hundreds of passionate singers from interstate and all over the world join SPC choristers for the annual ChorusOz weekend of singing, fun and friendship, finishing with a performance on the world-famous Sydney Opera House Concert Hall with a professional orchestra and soloists. This year ChorusOz is also joined by Sydney Auslan Ensemble (Signed Language.)

SPC's ChorusOz 2017 presents the magnificent oratorio by Felix Mendelssohn, 'ELIJAH.' 


Briefly, Mendelssohn's Oratorio 'ELIJAH' 

Elijah (German: Elias), Op. 70, is an oratorio written by Felix Mendelssohn. It premiered in 1846 at the Birmingham Festival. It depicts events in the life of the Biblical prophet  Elijah, taken from the books of 1 Kings and 2 Kings of the Holy Bible's Old Testament. 





SPC's ChorusOz 2017 offering: 

Felix MENDELSSOHN (1800-1847): Oratorio  'ELIJAH'

(Text derived from the Lutheran Bible by Julius Schubring. English version by William Bartholomew)

Brett Weymark,  conductor

Penelope Mills, soprano

Sian Pendry, mezzo soprano

John Longmuir, tenor

Michael Honeyman, baritone

ChorusOz Choir

Sydney Auslan Ensemble

Sydney Philharmonia Orchestra

(The performance time duration:  90 minutes with no interval)

The rehearsals over the weekend are conducted by Music Director Brett Weymark himself. Piano accompanists: Claire Howard Race and Antonio Fernandez.


Insights on the Program Repertoire  from Brett Weymark, Sydney Philharmonia Choir's Music Director:

"This performance of Mendelssohn's 'Elijah' is an abridged version based on a number of sources. Firstly, from reading many of the letters between Mendelssohn and his librettist, his desire was to emphasise the dramatic nature of the story of Elijah so movements that support this view were favoured over the more reflective and philosophical. Secondly, some omissions are based on the differences between the first performance in Birmingham and the later performance in London, both conducted by the composer in which he revised huge sections of the work, again, tightening its dramatic focus. Thirdly, there is a well-documented performance by the legendary American conductor Robert Shaw, who trimmed some of the work to suit his own purposes for a performance like ours that hs little rehearsal time and many of my decisions were based on this informed choices." 

Suggested Videos from YouTube:

Mendelssohn - Elijah. YouTube, uploaded by Gwyneth Jones. Accessed 11 May 2017. (46 videos in YouTube, provided by Warner Music Group.) EMI Classics (2 CDs): Rafael Fruhbeck de Burgos. With Dame Gwyneth Jones, Dame Janet Baker, Nicolai Gedda, Dietrich Fisher-Dieskau. New Philharmonia Orchestra and Chorus.



Robert Shaw: Preparing a Masterpiece, Volume 7: Mendelssohn 'Elijah'.  YouTube, uploaded by Carnegie Hall.  Accessed 11 May 2017.


Video Credit: 

ChorusOz 2017 - One month to go!  YouTube, uploaded by Sydney Philharmonia Choirs. Accessed 11 May 2017.  
ChorusOz 2017 - Two weeks to go! YouTube, uploaded by Sydney Philharmonia Choirs. Accessed 22 May 2017. 


Resources:

1. Mendelssohn's  Elijah. en.wikipedia.org. Accessed 1 June 2017.
2. Sydney Philharmonia Choirs. Accessed 1 June 2017.
3. SPC Concert Program Handout.



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