Composer: Edward William Elgar
Performer: Rebecca Evans, Alice Coote, Paul Groves, Jacques Imbrailo, David Kempster, Brindley Sherratt, Hallé Youth Choir, Hallé Choir
Orchestra: Hallé Orchestra
Conductor: Sir Mark Elder
Format: FLAC (tracks)
Label: Hallé
Release: 2012
Size: 946 MB
Recovery: +3%
Scan: cover
The Apostles, Op. 49
Part 1
01. Prologue: The Spirit of the Lord
02. I. The Calling of the Apostles
03. I. The Calling of the Apostles, The Dawn
04. I. The Calling of the Apostles, “And when it was day”
05. II. By the wayside
06. III. By the Sea of Galilee
07. III. By the Sea of Galilee, In the Tower of Magdala
08. III. By the Sea of Galilee, “This shall ye have of mine hand”
09. III. By the Sea of Galilee, In Caesarea Philippi
10. III. By the Sea of Galilee, In Capernaum
11. III. By the Sea of Galilee, “Turn you to the stronghold”
Part 2
12. Introduction
13. IV. The Betrayal
14. IV. The Betrayal, “Then gathered the Chief Priests and Pharisees”
15. IV. The Betrayal, In Gethsemane
16. IV. The Betrayal, “Then Judas, which had betrayed Him”
17. IV. The Betrayal, “Wither shall I go”
18. IV. The Betrayal, “Mine end is come”
19. V. Golgotha
20. VI. At the Sepulchre
21. VII. The Ascension
22. VII. The Ascension, “And when He had spoken these things”
23. VII. The Ascension, “They platted a crown of thorns”
This new release presents the oratorio planned to open the trilogy, the lesser known and hitherto rather under-served work The Apostles , in a performance which the Guardian described as being ‘revelatory’. This retelling of Christ’s Passion from the viewpoint of His followers features extensive and effective use of and choral writing which is arguably an advance on that of Gerontius with the work’s closing section – depicting Christ’s Ascension to heaven – thought to be one of the most poignant ever written.
Latest release in Elder and Halle’s renowned Elgar series.
Recorded live at sell out Bridgewater Hall concert.
The performance benefits from extensive research by Mark Elder, including study of a proof copy of the vocal score which he matched with what Elgar himself conducted in 1921, reinstating the semichorus of nine male voices, sung here by an ensemble Elder specially selected from the Royal Northern College of Music.
The recording is probably the first since Elgar conducted The Apostles in Hereford on 7 September 1921, at the Three Choirs Festival, to incorporate Elgar’s intentions at several points in the oratorio Elgar included a part for a shofar, an ancient Hebrew instrument made of ram’s horn. In most performances this is imitated by modern instruments, but for this recording Sir Mark Elder features a genuine shofar player.
The Apostles features mystic choruses and vivid orchestration, perfectly suited to Hallé forces.