The King's Consort * * * *
at Symphony Hall
Review by Christopher Morley
Lyndon Jenkins' and Fiona Fraser's fascinating, beautifully illustrated programme-notes for Wednesday's concert tell us that when Birmingham Town Hall hosted the world premiere of Mendelssohn's Elijah under the composer's baton in 1846, the forces involved 271 choristers and an orchestra of 125.
Forgive me, then, if I point out that Wednesday's performance by the King's Consort, with a choir of 30 and an orchestra of not many more, could scarcely qualify as an "authentic" one. But, having said that, the sound produced by Robert King's lively direction was as authentically dramatic and pungent as anyone could wish.
The work is a masterpiece which was lost to us under layers of accumulated sanctimoniousness for at least a century. But here in this account its blazing impact was restored.
Rasping horns, narrow-bore trombones and a sturdy, compact ophicleide (ancestor of the tuba) cut through the textures, and the athletic chorus, meticulous in its diction, delivered the text almost as a gripping page-turner narrative.
Small roles were taken from within the chorus, often joined by members of the principal solo quartet. Lucy Crowe, a last-minute substitute, was an appealing soprano, Hilary Summers displayed many differing timbres in her mezzo solos, including a decidedly spiteful Queen, and Peter Wedd brought lyricism and ardour to the tenor contributions.
But outstanding among the soloists was David Wilson-Johnson as Elijah himself. Disgruntled body-language added to the impact of his characterisation, but even with eyes closed one could easily imagine the obsessed, sometimes unattractive conviction of the prophet, delivered with authority and and compassion by the bass. His "It is enough" came as a heart-stopping crucial point in the entire structure of this brilliantly-wrought score.
