Felix Mendelssohn: Elias – Bayerisches Staatsorchester & Wolfgang Sawallisch

The live recording of Elias (Elijah) is the first historic release from the archive on the Bayerische Staatsoper Recordings label. It is historic in many respects, not only with regard to the almost four decades which have passed since 4 July 1984, but most of all because it brings together a phenomenal ensemble that shaped an entire era at the National Theatre in Munich within the genres of opera, lieder and symphonic music – thus representing something of a dream team of classical music at that time. This performance of Felix Mendelssohn’s Elias simultaneously opened both the 1984 Münchner Opernfestspiele (Munich Opera Festival) and the 88th German Katholikentag (Catholic Convention). Staatsoper General Manager and Chief Conductor Wolfgang Sawallisch showed remarkable astuteness: with a religious oratorio he demonstrated the stylistic versatility of the Nationaltheater-based Bayerisches Staatsorchester. Furthermore, in performing a work by a Protestant composer with a Jewish background in the context of a Roman Catholic event, he sent a widely-admired ecumenical signal. With the launch of the in-house label Bayerische Staatsoper Recordings in 2021 it has become possible to publish archival documents to showcase pivotal events from the Staatsoper’s history. In that vein, this recording is now being made available for the first time ever as a testament to the exceptional musicians, the oratoric and dramatic finesse of the Bayerisches Staatsorchester and Sawallisch’s flair for Mendelssohn.