Hallé & Hallé Youth Choir & Hallé Choir, Sir Mark Elder - Elgar: The Apostles, Op. 49 (2012) [Hi-Res]

Tracklist
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CD1
01. The Apostles, Op. 49: Part 1, Prologue: The Spirit of the Lord
02. The Apostles, Op. 49: Part 1, I. The Calling of the Apostles
03. The Apostles, Op. 49: Part 1, I. The Calling of the Apostles, The Dawn
04. The Apostles, Op. 49: Part 1, I. The Calling of the Apostles, "And when it was day"
05. The Apostles, Op. 49: Part 1, II. By the wayside
06. The Apostles, Op. 49: Part 1, III. By the Sea of Galilee
07. The Apostles, Op. 49: Part 1, III. By the Sea of Galilee, In the Tower of Magdala
08. The Apostles, Op. 49: Part 1, III. By the Sea of Galilee, "This shall ye have of mine hand"
09. The Apostles, Op. 49: Part 1, III. By the Sea of Galilee, In Caesarea Philippi
10. The Apostles, Op. 49: Part 1, III. By the Sea of Galilee, In Capernaum
11. The Apostles, Op. 49: Part 1, III. By the Sea of Galilee, "Turn you to the stronghold"

CD2
01. The Apostles, Op. 49: Part 2, Introduction
02. The Apostles, Op. 49: Part 2, IV. The Betrayal
03. The Apostles, Op. 49: Part 2, IV. The Betrayal, "Then gathered the Chief Priests and Pharisees"
04. The Apostles, Op. 49: Part 2, IV. The Betrayal, In Gethsemane
05. The Apostles, Op. 49: Part 2, IV. The Betrayal, "Then Judas, which had betrayed Him"
06. The Apostles, Op. 49: Part 2, IV. The Betrayal, "Wither shall I go"
07. The Apostles, Op. 49: Part 2, IV. The Betrayal, "Mine end is come"
08. The Apostles, Op. 49: Part 2, V. Golgotha
09. The Apostles, Op. 49: Part 2, VI. At the Sepulchre
10. The Apostles, Op. 49: Part 2, VII. The Ascension
11. The Apostles, Op. 49: Part 2, VII. The Ascension, "And when He had spoken these things"
12. The Apostles, Op. 49: Part 2, 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.

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