Elijah, SF Symphony & Chorus

Last night C. and I attended a special dress rehearsal of Mendelssohn's oratorio, "Elijah", performed by the San Francisco Symphony and Chorus. Special, in that only contributors were invited - even our small annual donation qualified. Former SFS director Herbert Blomstedt conducted. The chorus' sound was a little muddy in Part 1, and the dynamic range wasn't strong enough. But Part II was a different story. The chorus sounded much crisper in the energetic choruses, sweet and angelic in the redemtive movements. The highlights of the night were two of the four soloists, Juliane Banse (soprano) and Alan Opie (baritone.) She was captivating to watch - how did such a penetrating sound come from such a slight body? She had ease reaching high notes and put her whole body into phrasing, often rising onto her toes. He had a dramatic voice and face, full of percussive force during Elijah's more dramatic pronouncements. Both were obviously engaged by the whole work, either acknowledging with glances contributions by chorus or instruments, or joining their voices to the choral parts from their seats downstage. To top it all off, the first chair cellist added a vibrant accompaniment to one of Elijah's late arias. We entered the hall drained from a long day and full week, but left full of zip after the close.

Elijah is one of my favorite works, and I think Part II deserves a permanent place on my music player.