Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy completed his first oratorio – St. Paul , op. 36 – in 1836, at the age of twenty-seven.

The first version, which was premiered on 22 May 1836, was then extensively revised by the composer. This second version, which at the same time served as the basis for the published version, was premiered as early as October that year in Birmingham . The acclaim with which the oratorio was received was exceptional. Within eighteen months of completing the score, Mendelssohn was...