Mendelssohn's "Elijah" - The Story and the Music

A lecture on the magnificent oratorio “Elijah”, by Felix Bartholdy Mendelssohn, will take place Thursday, February 28, 2013 at 7:30 PM at Westchester Reform Temple. The lecturers will be Dr. John T. King, Artistic Director, the New Choral Society and Rabbi Jonathan Blake, Senior Rabbi, Westchester Reform Temple. The collaborative event between the New Choral Society and Westchester Reform Temple, is taking place in conjunction with two performances of the great oratorio, March 9 and 10, 2013, by the New Choral Society, at Hitchcock Presbyterian Church. The lecture is free and open to all.

 Each lecturer will take a unique approach to Mendelssohn’s work. Rabbi Blake will talk about the Biblical figure Elijah and how the libretto of the oratorio selects the episodes from the Bible, to form the narrative arc of the work. Dr. King will introduce Mendelssohn himself, as composer and explore the music he wrote as well as how that music supports the story. He will also share musical examples for the audience to listen for when they hear the piece performed.

 This lecture is intended to prepare the audience for a greater enjoyment of the oratorio which is being presented in Scarsdale, by the New Choral Society. The concert performances on March 9 and 10 will feature the 48 member, all-auditioned chorus, a professional orchestra and soloists from concert stages around the globe. The role of “Elijah” will be sung by Sidney Outlaw, a rising star in the opera world, who the role in Carnegie Hall in 2011. Other featured soloists are Jennifer Check, soprano, Margaret Lattimore, mezzo-soprano and Andrew Stenson, tenor, all of whom hail from the Metropolitan Opera.

For more information regarding the lecture or the concert, please call the New Choral Society office at 914-725-1678 or visit the website at www.newchoralsociety.org.