Kirill Petrenko conducts Mendelssohn’s “Elias” by Various, Do. 12 Jan. 2023, Ab (2023/2023), Dirigat Kirill Petrenko, Berliner Philharmonie, Berlin, Deutschland

“Strong, zealous and, yes, even bad-tempered, angry and brooding” – that is how Felix Mendelssohn envisioned the biblical prophet Elijah, the protagonist of his oratorio of the same name. The composer dramatically portrays a man who struggles to bring the people back to the true faith – in vain, as he realizes in the end. Moving arias and vocal scenes as well as powerful choral writing make Mendelssohn’s oratorio one of the greatest religious works of the Romantic period. The outstanding baritone Christian Gerhaher will be heard as Elijah, conducted by Kirill Petrenko.