Felix Mendelssohn: Elijah, Op. 70 / Hickox, White, Plowright, Finnie, Davies, London Symphony (Sung in English)

Felix Mendelssohn (Artist), Richard Hickox (Artist), Jeremy Budd (Artist), Arthur Davies (Artist), Roderick Elms (Artist), Linda Finnie (Artist), Willard White (Artist), Rosalind Plowright (Artist) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 28, 1992)
• SPARS Code: DDD
• Number of Discs: 2
• Label: Chandos
• ASIN: B000000AJE
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #145,098 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Romantic, Epic, Powerful, and Spiritually Moving, January 4, 2006

By 

composer (Bloomington, IN) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Felix Mendelssohn: Elijah, Op. 70 / Hickox, White, Plowright, Finnie, Davies, London Symphony (Sung in English) (Audio CD)

It is true that if you like lean, fleet, "classical" (and perhaps I might add; rather dry and uninvolving) performances of Mendelssohn, then this is not the recording for you. But if you like a powerfully grand, epic, and emotionally potent performance of this masterwork, then please do not hesitate. Hickox and his team of soloists and the LSO give a very profoundly Romantic view of the work, one that is in fact much more "authentic" than the increasingly common trend of "lean", "light", and swift recordings of the work (for example the Masur and the Paul Daniel one mentioned by a previous reviewer.) In fact the first performance of the work in Birmingham, England was an affair that included literally hundreds in the chorus (somewhere around 250 if memory serves). This recording surely does not utilize that many, but the effect is one of grandeur, and the biblical story of Elijah is conveyed in all its truthfulness and spiritual impact. The tempi that one reviewer found "annoyingly slow" are actually just right for a work of these dimensions and meaning. In my view, this is one of the very best recordings of the work in English. If you are looking for the best one in German, I humbly recommend the recording by Rilling. The tempi are somtimes faster, but there is no loss of the sense of meaning or in the overall sweep of the work.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A beautiful and expressive performance, June 1, 2011

By 

Kenneth Dorter - See all my reviews

This review is from: Felix Mendelssohn: Elijah, Op. 70 / Hickox, White, Plowright, Finnie, Davies, London Symphony (Sung in English) (Audio CD)

I warmly recommend this recording. It's a very moving performance and the tempos are ideal. Willard White's powerful firm voice provides a commanding and expressive Elijah, and the darkness of his timbre suits the role well. The other soloists are also in good voice, although tenor Arthur Davies sings with less variety of expression than his partners. Choral music is Richard Hickox's specialty and the choir sings with beauty and a full range of expression, although as with recordings of large scale choral works generally, including other performances of Elijah, it would not always be easy to understand the words without the libretto that's included.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Elijah, October 4, 2008

By 

P. Remick "pizmyr" (Glenside, PA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Felix Mendelssohn: Elijah, Op. 70 / Hickox, White, Plowright, Finnie, Davies, London Symphony (Sung in English) (Audio CD)

I am using this recording to rehearse for a choral performace of Elijah. I am enjoying the recording although the orchestra overpowers the chorus in some places. The voices are very good. The words are fairly clear. Over all I recommend it.