Polished performance of Elijah, a tale of faith triumphing over despair

THE historic high-vaulted Dorchester Abbey with its excellent acoustics was an ideal setting for this performance of Elijah by Benson Choral Society, conducted by Steven Grahl.

The 70-strong choir were accompanied by the West Forest Sinfonia’s orchestra.

As if these magnificent sights and sounds were not enough for the capacity audience, 11 young girls clad in purple cassocks from the Frideswide Voices and Consort Choirs from Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford, enhanced the evening with their beautiful voices.

Felix Mendelssohn’s oratorio Elijah was first performed in Birmingham in 1846, to great enthusiasm by both the musicians and audience alike, and has been regarded as a classic choral work ever since. Its tale of the heroic prophet Elijah’s eventual triumph over adversity, with stories of droughts, famine and divisions within his people, requires powerful music of dramatic intensity to bring out the emotions of sorrow, exultation, despair, anger and faith.

Conductor Steven Grahl delivered this task with great success, supported by the four highly talented soloists, soprano Harriet Burns, mezzo-soprano Susan Legg, tenor Peter Harris and baritone Daniel Tate.

However, there had been drama off-stage as well because the original part of Elijah was to have been sung by Giles Underwood but he became unwell.

The conductor explained that he was only replaced four days previously by Daniel who had never performed in the role before. Nevertheless, the baritone’s performance was outstanding, fully capturing the masterful essence of Elijah with his deep, powerful voice.

The two female soloists also excelled, especially with their powerful duet which filled the abbey with such beautiful tones, expertly accompanied by the West Forest Sinfonia.

Towards the end of the first half, the soloists were accompanied by Olivia Nyagua, from Frideswide Voices, playing the part of the Youth, where her hauntingly high clear voice reverberated throughout the abbey’s vaulted ceilings.

The first half concluded with the well-known Chorus “Thanks be to God! He laveth the thirsty land!” sung to great effect by Benson Choral Society. The Aria “Hear ye Israel” opened the second half with Harriet’s fine solo soprano delighting the audience.

Elijah’s story progressed dramatically to show the point of his utter despair, only to be countered by the introduction of the angels, performed by the Frideswide girls’ choirs filing on to centre stage to sing unaccompanied in three parts the well-known trio “Lift thine eyes to the mountains” to fill Elijah with hope and faith again.

Peter’s rich tenor voice entranced with his powerful solo air “And then shall your light break forth”, leading to the final chorus resounding in a crescendo of triumphant joy.

The audience showed their obvious enjoyment of this very polished performance by their prolonged and enthusiastic applause.

Benson Choral Society’s next concert, featuring music by George Shearing and John Rutter. is on Saturday, June 17.

Terry Grourk