Mendelssohn's Elias - authentic yet modern

Raphaël Pichon and his ensemble Pygmalion, playing on "historically accurate" instruments, throw themselves wholeheartedly into the Romantic repertoire. Now: Mendelssohn's oratorio Elias.

Mendelssohn in the tradition of Bach and Handel
Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy had an unstoppable work ethic. Not only was he a gifted pianist and violinist, he also composed, drew and painted from his earliest youth. At seventeen, he was a famous composer, and by virtue of his lineage, a wealthy man. Inspired by Bach and Handel, Mendelssohn continued the tradition of the great spiritual oratorios in the nineteenth century.

Raphael Pichon keeps the music of Elias light
In 1836, Mendelssohn wrote his first, Paul. Ten years later comes a second prophet, Elias, in a work he composed simultaneously in German and English. As Elijah, it first comes to sound in Birmingham. The success is overwhelming and audiences queue for hours for tickets. Four hundred performers play and sing for two thousand listeners. The historically informed French ensemble Pygmalion shows that it can also be done on a much smaller scale. Its founder and conductor Raphaël Pichon already achieved great success at the Matinee with Brahms' Ein deutsches Requiem.