The chorus work is both a challenge but also an immediate delight to sing. The chorus portrays different characters, at times the terrified, fallen-away Jews ("Help Lord" #1); the evil followers of Baal (#9-11--these are some of the most dramatic and rewarding to sing of all the choruses); and at other times the chorus is the narrator of events (#8 in which the chorus assists soloists in challenging the followers of Baal, and in #14 which describes the heavenly fire that consumes the offering and concludes with the vengeful cry of the Jews to slay the prophets of Baal!). The most beautiful choruses (and solos), as in most oratorios, are the more reflective ones which comment on action just taken place: #7 "Blessed are the Men," #23 "Lift Thine Eyes," #24 "He, Watching over Israel," and the solos #4 "If With All Your Hearts," #12 "Lord God of Abraham," #21 "It is Enough," and #25 "Oh Rest in the Lord." Add to these all the drama and the triumphant (fugal) concluding choruses, and together these special choral selectioins are what makes Mendelssohn's Elijah one of the most exciting and sublime choral masterpieces ever composed.

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