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Howard Arman leads the Munich Radio Orchestra and Bavarian Radio Chorus in performance of several excerpts from Felix Mendelssohn's oratorio, Elijah, Op. 70, MWV A 25. The piece depicts events in the life of the Prophet Elijah as told in the books 1 Kings and 2 Kings of the Old Testament. This piece was composed in the spirit of Mendelssohn's Baroque predecessors Bach and Handel, whose music he greatly admired. In 1829 Mendelssohn had organized the first performance of Bach's St Matthew Passion since the composer's death and was instrumental in bringing this and other Bach works to widespread popularity. By contrast, Handel's oratorios never went out of fashion in England. Mendelssohn prepared a scholarly edition of some of Handel's oratorios for publication in London. Elijah is modelled on the oratorios of these two Baroque masters; however, in its lyricism and use of orchestral and choral colour the style clearly reflects Mendelssohn's own genius as an early Romantic composer. Established in 1952, the Munich Radio Orchestra has developed into a body engaged in a wide spectrum of musical activity. There have been gala concerts and opera concert performances in particular, under the direction of Marcello Viotti, as well as a Paradisi Gloria series devoted to the sacred music of the 20th century, concerts for children and young people, and theme evenings. From 1952 to 1967 the orchestra was under the direction of Werner Schmidt-Boelcke, followed by Kurt Eichhorn until 1975, and from then until 1981 Heinz Wallberg. From 1982 to 1985 the orchestra was under the direction of Lamberto Gardelli, then, briefly, under that of Giuseppe Patané. After a series of guest conductors the direction was assumed, in 1992 by Roberto Abbado, succeeded in 1998 by Marcello Viotti, with his particular expertise in Italian and French operatic repertoire, and under whom the active musical programme of the orchestra continues to prosper.