David Perlman, The Wholenote: What are the odds that there would be three separate performances of Felix Mendelssohn’s final completed oratorio, Elijah, all taking place this coming November 5? It’s not as though there’s some particularly significant Mendelssohnian anniversary in the offing: he was born in 1809 and died in 1847, at age 38, 14 months after Elijah premiered, in English, at the Birmingham Town Hall, as part of the Birmingham Festival. But by one of those odd twists of planning and timing (and without any discussion among themselves), Toronto Mendelssohn Choir, Pax Christi Chorale and Chorus Niagara have all scheduled the work, same day and time, as a major part of their respective 2016/17 seasons.
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David Pittsinger on singing Elijah
"To be a vulnerable and honest storyteller is what every artist ultimately strives for and this piece abounds with opportunities for just that. It resides in an ecclesiastical lexicon with Bach’s Matthew Passion, and Handel’s Messiah, but uses Mendelssohn’s own Romantic style to great emotional effect."
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Elijah Program Notes
Noel Edison speaks on why he chose Felix Mendelssohn’s Elijah to celebrate his 20th season with the Choir: "How could I not choose a work by Felix Mendelssohn, the namesake of the Choir? And Elijah is one of my all-time favourite orchestral-choral works. Orchestral works are in the Choir’s DNA and this work is chock-full of big chorus effects. I love the drama and the way the story plays out -- it’s religious opera bursting with the hellfire and brimstone of the Old Testament. And it’s tuneful and fulfilling, full of one beautiful piece after another. Enjoy!"
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Toronto Mendelssohn Choir celebrates Artistic Director Noel Edison’s 20th season
The Toronto Mendelssohn Choir (TMC) presents a season of inspiring choral music for 2016/17 – from an intimate a cappella performance to a grand oratorio with full orchestra. In November the Choir celebrates Noel Edison’s 20th season with one of his favourite works, Felix Mendelssohn's Elijah, at Koerner Hall.
Noel Edison has been widely recognized and appreciated by choristers, critics and patrons for his skillful interpretive work with both choir and orchestra. His vision for the TMC is to create performances that connect audiences emotionally with some of the greatest traditional and contemporary choral repertoire.
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A fine sampling of German Romanticism
Michael Johnson, concertonet. This program by the Toronto Mendelssohn Choir was doubly unusual in that it presented a number of short choral works that rarely get the “big choir” treatment, plus the evening’s guest soloist was a pianist, in this case André Laplante, whose deeply thoughtful performance of six pieces helped fullfil the evening’s title German Romantics.
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German Romantics Nov 25
TMC artistic director Noel Edison has put together an enchanting program of choral lieder and solo piano from the Romantic period. The concert, German Romantics, takes place in the beautiful space and acoustics of Koerner Hall on Wednesday, November 25 at 7:30 pm. The Toronto Mendelssohn Choir will be joined by Canadian pianist André Laplante, regarded as one of the great romantic virtuosos.
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TMC announces 2015/16 season
The TMC’s 2015/16 season will build on the success of the 2014/15 season and create great musical experiences for audiences– from the drama of the story of creation captured in music by Haydn, to the romance of choral lieder by Brahms and Schubert, and the contemplative space created in the works of contemporary composers.
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2014-2015 Season and Media Releases.
Brahms, Corlis, Handel, Hawes, Haydn, Mendelssohn, Morales, Schubert, Schumann, and Whitacre.
Brahms, Corlis, Handel, Hawes, Haydn, Mendelssohn, Morales, Schubert, Schumann, and Whitacre.
Unexpected Harmonies: A New Ears Review of the Choral Conductors’ Symposium Community Concert
This programme is a showcase of five emerging conductors who will conduct a variety of short pieces by different composers. Edison tells us that conducting is a lonely profession – it’s just you and the music, and you have to have the musical vision, the discipline and the people skills to bring the sheet music to life. This program has been sculpted around musical challenges for these conductors.
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