Bartholdy Mendelssohn Felix Elias

Nineteenth century oratorio composition reached it's zenith with Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy's Elijah. Just as Handel's Messiah, written a century earlier, had been quickly and triumphantly received, Elijah was immediately recognized as a glorious work of musical mastery. Mendelssohn's music conveys the multifarious moods of the character of Elijah - from his cruel and dramatic fire to his later humility and resignation - with unfailing clarity.