The Apostles, oratorio for soloists, choruses & orchestra, Op. 49
A second-tier Elgar oratorio might sound like a good definition of torture to the not Elgarian inclined, but The Apostles, composed in 1903, has its moments and is worth a listen in this fine performance even for general choral music fans. Annotator Michael Kennedy describes Elgar's oratorio style as an "[offshoot] of Bachian oratorio, sprinkled with Wagner dust," which is true enough. But the appeal of this particular work lies in something else again: the novelty of an account of Christ's crucifixion plotted through the ...
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A second-tier Elgar oratorio might sound like a good definition of torture to the not Elgarian inclined, but The Apostles, composed in 1903, has its moments and is worth a listen in this fine performance even for general choral music fans. Annotator Michael Kennedy describes Elgar's oratorio style as an "[offshoot] of Bachian oratorio, sprinkled with Wagner dust," which is true enough. But the appeal of this particular work lies in something else again: the novelty of an account of Christ's crucifixion plotted through the eyes of those around him. Elgar himself selected and reworked biblical texts to create this unique and distinctively modern take on the age-old story, and he provided music to match. The oratorio, with its huge orchestra and choir, takes a while to lumber to life. But the second part is not quite like anything else in the choral repertory. The crucifixion itself is marked only by a big crescendo, the single most Wagnerian moment in the work. The rest of the action reflected through...
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