Premiering a new work must be an anxious time for a composer, never knowing if this will be the one and only time it gets heard, or if it will be a hit.
That thought might have been in composer Felix Mendelssohn’s mind the night before the May 22 1836 premiere of his new oratorio, St Paul.
Thankfully for Mendelssohn, the performance at the Lower Rhine Music Festival in Dusseldorf was so well received that within 18 months his new work had been performed 50 times.
In the 136 years since that premiere, the St Paul oratorio has continued to charm audiences, which is why Heidelberg Choral Society is performing it on September 17 and 18 at the Ivanhoe Girls’ Grammar Performing Arts Centre.
Conducted by maestro Peter Bandy (also known as Wednesday Intermezzo presenter on 3MBS), this performance features soloists soprano Samantha Hargreaves, mezzo-soprano Naomi Flatman, tenor Henry Choo and baritone Christopher Hillier.
According to conductor Peter Bandy, the audience is in for a treat: “I’m thrilled we have such superb soloists and I am confident that the audience will enjoy St Paul as much as the choir and I have enjoyed preparing it,” he said.
Patrons can grab ther ticket to be charmed by Mendelssohn by visiting trybooking.com/CAJFL. There are performances at 7.30 pm on Saturday September 17 and 2.30 pm on Sunday September 18 at Ivanhoe Girls’ ‘Grammar Performing Arts Centre, corner Noel St and Upper Heidelberg Rd, Ivanhoe.

• Julie Houghton