Felix Mendelssohn Elias, Elijah (1846) Aria for Soprano Höre, Israel ( Elly Ameling)

Painting: The spirit of the summit by Frederick Leighton. History (based on material from The Independent ( Conspiracy of silence ) and The Grove Dictionary of Music ): The Michael Balfe Maria Malibran relationship that we have encountered in the story of the genesis of the elaborate cantata Sempre pensoso is echoed by or, to be perfectly honest, echoes the strikingly passionate relationship between one of Germany s most charming composers, Felix Mendelssohn, and the Swedish Nightingale,