Around this time it was an Edinburgh tradition that Elijah should be performed by the Choral Union every Good Friday. There were four professional soloists, of whom Lilian Stiles-Allen was the most notable, with an important career between the wars, culminating in the role of Second Soprano among the original sixteen soloists of the Vaughan Williams Serenade to Music in 1938. The four minor solo roles were taken by members of the Choral Union, while the Boy had been sung by the same boyish-sounding soprano for several seasons.
According to the next day's Scotsman: 'The chorus appeared at its best, and there was 'the usual composite orchestra of professionals andd amateurs, led by Mr W Watt Jupp, and receiving effective support from Mr Gavin Godfrey at the organ. As a whole the performance of the oratorio was deserving of high praise, although a little more dash of the string sections of the orchestra would have been a material improvement. The work of the soloists was very good. Miss Stiles-Allen displayed a fine dramatic sense; Miss Catherine Mentiplay was excellently suited to the contralto music; Mr John Adams sang with great purity of tone; and Mr Philip Malcolm's interpretation of the role of Elijah was dramatic, and marked by an unfailing beauty of tone.'
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