This is the story of a love affair between Mendelssohn and the citizens of Birmingham. Mendelssohn's oratorio, "Elijah", was first performed at the Birmingham Town Hall in 1846 and was an outstanding success, matched only by the attraction of the man, himself. Glimpses behind the scenes, eye-witness accounts by those involved, testify to deafening applause and encore after encore. They tell of things long forgotten; an averted strike, brimming crowds and traffic near 'chaos' as spectator and concert goer vied to stake his claim along the route. But, sadly, fervour can dim and when Mendelssohn returned with his revised score the following year, his welcome was less than he deserved...
