Elijah at Llandaff Cathedral

	On Saturday Feb 1st Cambrensis Choir and Orchestra joined forces with Cardiff County and Vale of Glamorgan Youth Choir for a performance of Mendelssohn's Elijah which was magnificent in every way. The setting of Llandaff Cathedral gave a glorious backdrop to the drama and passion of Mendelssohn's most famous and powerful work.
		The mixture of voices in the two choirs gave the best of both worlds, youth and maturity, and the orchestra was at its best.
	The soloists each sang with clarity and conviction. For Gwion Thomas (baritone) it was his first time to sing with Cambrensis and his warm portrayal of Elijah endeared him to the choir and audience alike. Huw Priday and Elizabeth Woollett have been associated with Cambrensis for many years and it was a happy reunion. Debbie Davison sang in Cambrensis Choir while a student in Cardiff and has now gone on to be a professional singer, currently with the ENO. The alto section in the choir feel proud of her!
	Mention should also be made of the beautiful singing of the chorus of angels - Sian Winstanley, Sarah Stevens, Caroline Toye and Hannah James (from the youth choir) and the part of "The Youth" sung by Cambrensis' Bethan Diaz. Kelvin Thomas, who directs both choirs throughout the year, did a splendid job of conducting the piece and much credit should be given to him for the dynamism of the event.
	The Cathedral was absolutely packed and we left hundreds of disappointed people without tickets. We need to persuade the Cathedral authorities to expand their seating capacity!
	About "Elijah:" You can find this gripping story in the Old Testament, 1 Kings 17 - 2 Kings 2. Mendelssohn`s Oratorio Elijah was first performed in 1846 in Birmingham Town Hall as a piece commissioned by the Birmingham Festival Committee. It had immediate success, although Mendelssohn had some misgivings and he revised the work. The revised oratorio was later performed in London and Manchester in 1847, again to great acclaim, and has continued to be popular to this day. The dramatic story and music vividly convey incidents in Elijah`s life and although modern audiences may baulk at some of the imagery the power and immediacy of the work has maintained this oratorio as a mainstay of the choral repertoire. Here are a few other Midi renditions of pieces from Elijah, re-mixed by the Webmaster: Chorus 26 It is enough Chorus 29 He watching over Israel Chorus 42 And then shall your light break forth
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