I have to begin this post with an apology - I've never been the biggest fan of oratorios, no matter how spectacularly performed, and no matter how many times my vocalist mother would insist upon the unparalleled majesty of the choir (sorry, Ma). So when I found out that we would be attending a performance of Mendelssohn's Elias oratorio, I shrugged my shoulders. I wasn't unhappy about it, but I wasn't the most enthusiastic traveler going into Salzburg, either. I didn't know what I was going to think.
Well. Well, well, well. Guess what happened! Within the first five minutes of Elias, I was blown away. Our group sat within the very first couple of rows, right in front of the four vocal soloists, and - as Dr. Powell put so elegantly - it felt like "our faces were being peeled off" by the incredible sound both instrumentalists and vocalists put out. The bass soloist, who was the most prominent character of the four and suspiciously looked like Patrick Stewart, had impressive volume control, diction, and emotion, keeping me on the edge of my seat whenever he dropped from a quadruple forte to a quadruple piano. The other soloists were jaw-dropping as well, blending perfectly with the orchestra and choir and creating a musical environment that felt so powerful, so holy, that I almost wished the performance was being held in one of the cathedrals we've seen instead. When their performance was over, I couldn't believe almost three hours had passed! Even better, I wanted Elias to continue for another hour. Alas, everything must end eventually, I suppose...
Tonight, I'd like to think that I am a changed person. Ma, if you're reading this, let's go attend performances of oratorios together when I get back to Tacoma. I want to learn more about this realm of music.
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