Mendelssohn: Elijah, Op. 70

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Jacqueline Delman (soprano), Norma Procter (contralto), George\nMaran (tenor), Bruce Boyce (baritone) & Michael Cunningham\n(treble)

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London Philharmonic Orchestra & Choir & Hampstead Parish\nChurch Boys’ Choir, Josef Krips

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Born in Vienna in April 1902, the cheery-looking Josef Krips\nseems to have been pre-destined to achieve eminence in the Viennese\nclassics. He recorded with both, the Wiener Philharmoniker and the\nkey London orchestras for Decca in the 1940s, 50s and 60s and the\ninterpretations have genuine expressive power while remaining\ndevoid of exaggeration or affectation.

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Mendelssohn’s Elijah was premiered to great acclaim and was\nperhaps the greatest triumph of his lifetime performances of the\noratorio were attended by, among others, Queen Victoria and Prince\nAlbert. It became second in popularity to Handel’s Messiah in\nEnglish-speaking lands and elsewhere held its own in the choral\nrepertoire. In the character of Elijah, Mendelssohn created a\nmusical personality as comprehensive as any in 19th-century opera.\nThe oratorio as a whole encompasses lofty choral outbursts,\nheartfelt sentiment, profundity and even humour. This recording,\nmade at the end of the mono era in 1954, was, for long, a benchmark\nfor this work and at long last receives its first CD release on\nDecca.

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The notes for this issue are by Tully Potter and it forms part\nof a series of five reissues devoted to the art of Josef Krips.

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Recording producer: James Walker

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Recording location: Kingsway Hall, London, UK, September\n1954

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