The oratorio Elijah is based on texts from the Old Testament and tells the story of the biblical prophet Elijah, who worked in the ninth century BC. While in the first part of the oratorio a militant Elijah turns against the polytheism of the Phoenician queen Izebel, in the second part Elijah has already resigned and is fed up with his life. The stations of Biblical events such as drought, fire, rain and the appearance of God are translated by Mendelssohn into poignant musical images.

The biblical material about the prophet Elijah had long fascinated Mendelssohn. As early as the mid-1830s, he had studied it intensively. When he was commissioned to write an oratorio for Birmingham almost a decade later, in June 1845, he saw his chance to finally present this story, the life story of Elijah, musically. With numerous soloists and a large choral cast - both on stage and in the auditorium - South African video artist and director Kobie van Rensburg impressively stages this operatic oratorio.