Monumental, dramatic and fundamentally choral in character, Mendelssohn’s Elijah is a work ideally suited to the great choral forces of the Palau de la Música Catalana. The Orfeó Català, the Cor de Cambra del Palau de la Música Catalana and the Cor de Noies de l’Orfeó Català join forces with the Orquestra Simfònica del Gran Teatre del Liceu to take on one of the great oratorios of the Romantic era. The chorus is at the heart of the work, alongside a quartet of soloists led by baritone José Antonio López in the role of Elijah.

A prophet of the Old Testament, Elijah stands at the centre of a story of faith, conflict and hope, with powerful episodes such as the drought and the eventual arrival of rain. Mendelssohn builds this vast choral fresco with the masters he most admired, Bach and Handel, clearly in mind, which is why Elijah can recall their great oratorios and Passions. The connection with Bach is especially significant this season: Mendelssohn played a key role in the 19th-century revival of his music by bringing the St Matthew Passion back to the stage, precisely in the year in which the Palau marks the 300th anniversary of its premiere.

With Xavier Puig at the helm of these extensive choral and orchestral forces, Elijah stands out as one of the season’s major large-scale choral events.