Mendelssohn deliberately chose to use a female chorus for God's question 'Saul! Was verfolgst du mich?' (Saul, why persecuteth thou me?) to avoid direct description, marking the passage as exceptional with wind instruments.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Mendelssohn, a master-craftsman, saw himself humbly following J.S. Bach, an influence evident in the inclusion of chorales in St Paul.
Composer Biography
Felix Mendelssohn was deeply saddened that his father died before St Paul could be performed, influencing the work's 'high moral tone'.
Recording & Production
This recording utilizes 24-bit technology, offering a dynamic range up to 48 dB greater and 256 times the resolution of standard 16-bit recordings, enhancing clarity and ambience.
Notable Performances
The premiere of St Paul in Düsseldorf on May 22, 1836, was a complete success, featuring an orchestra of 172 and an amateur chorus of 364.
Composition History
Mendelssohn's father, Abraham, encouraged him to write an oratorio to divert him from his perceived obsession with sprites and goblins.
Critical Reception
Despite initial success, Richard Wagner later condemned St Paul as a 'sexless opera-embryo,' and George Bernard Shaw criticized Mendelssohn's 'kid-glove gentility' and 'despicable oratorio mongering'.
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