Thread: Haydn: The Creation, The Seasons

Haydn wrote two great oratorios almost one after the other: Die Schöpfung/The Creation (1798), and Die Jahreszeiten/The Seasons (1801). Both masterpieces are amongst his best works, and amongst the oratorio genre as a whole (certainly as far as the Classical period is concerned). And perhaps nothing in the oratorio genre came close by later composers.

So, what do you think of these works? You love it? You hate it/trash it? (I think Igor Stravinsky didn’t think much of The Creation, calling it "childish" but correct me if this is wrong).

Which versions on recording do you have? Any good?

The Creation: I have Tafelmusik/Bruo Weil (sung in German), The Academy of Ancient Music/Hogwod (sung in English, translation used as conducted by Haydn for London performance), and Capella Augustina/Andreas Spering (sung in German, Naxos label). All three versions on period instruments. Warmly recommend them.

I'm thinking of getting John Eliot Gardiner's, and Rene Jacob's. No hurry. Wondering if anyone here has these?

The Seasons: I have John Eliot Gardiner's version only. I will get Rene Jacob's version. There are less recordings of this great work; overshadowed by it's younger sibling.

I have The Creation by AAM/Hogwood.
I don't remember whether I have the complete of The Seasons, but I'd like to get a copy by AAM as well when/if it comes out.

I have listened to the Creation a couple of times - I do like it and think its a good work, it is definetely one I will get to know better in future .
The version I own is the Karajan one, I think it sounds pretty good:

I have Gardiner's recording of "The Creation," but I must confess that I have not given it much attention, so I can't give a good recommendation. I do believe I found it enjoyable, but it has been some time since I listened to it. Perhaps I will soon.

The Creation and The Seasons are certainly two of Haydn's best works... an spectacular choral works. The "Let there be LIGHT (or "Licht") with the booming introduction of choral and orchestral forces as the universe explodes into being is absolutely stunning. Stravinsky? He was really a bit of a moron when it came to judging other composers, now wasn't he? There's a great little book by the brilliant Latin-American writer, Alejo Carpentier entitled Baroque Concerto. Much of this book is something of a Baroque fantasy including a scene with Vivaldi and Stravinsky. Stravinsky mouths his oft-repeated criticism of Vivaldi, declaring that he didn't write 100s of concertos, but the same concerto 100s of times. Vivaldi responds that at least he was never reduced to composing music for the puppet theater. Talk about "childish".

I have both the Gardiner and the Karajan recording. Karajan's is obviously not an HIP recording... and there are those who argue that the man was unsuited to conducting Haydn, anyway... but with Fritz Wunderlich??!! You can't go wrong. The Gardiner, on the other hand, is a muscular HIP production and also every bit worthy of its reputation.

I saw the creation live last year at the Mostly Mozart Festival. My opinion of Haydn went up a couple notches. Haydn wrote program music before program music became vogue.

I have been curious about The Seasons - I've not been the biggest Haydn fan. My tastes tend more towards the Romantic and the Baroque, so I don't listen to a lot of Classical, but I have been increasingly enjoying HIP Classical, so maybe I'll have to give Haydn a little more attention and listen to The Creation.

Any recommendations for HIP recordings of The Seasons?

Originally Posted by DrMike

I have been curious about The Seasons - I've not been the biggest Haydn fan. My tastes tend more towards the Romantic and the Baroque, so I don't listen to a lot of Classical, but I have been increasingly enjoying HIP Classical, so maybe I'll have to give Haydn a little more attention and listen to The Creation.

Any recommendations for HIP recordings of The Seasons?

I know of only three versions of The Seasons on HIP: John Eliot Gardiner (which I have), Rene Jacobs (I will get one day) and Nicholas Harnoncourt.

Haydn seemed to have struggled with it more than The Creation, partly due to old age and partly (as history seem to suggest), with its perceived weak libretto. The libretto was compiled by Baron Gottfried van Swieten, who also provided The Creation. (van Swieten was a conservative, wealthy, aristocratic public servant, who was a great patron of the best around his time: C. P. E. Bach, Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven, and promoted the music of J. S. Bach and Handel behind private closed doors. He was portrayed as the "good guy" in the movie Amadeus).

I stopped by a friend's house last night, and we discussed these (he also enjoys classical), and he lent me this CD:


He said he really enjoys this recording of The Creation. I noticed it got a great review at Classicstoday.com. Any thoughts on this recording? I'm going to give it a listen today.

The Creation: Karajan and Hogwood.

The Seasons: Jacobs.

Those are the ones I have and I like all three really. Karajan is maybe the best of all because he had a fantastic line-up of singers.

Originally Posted by DrMike

I stopped by a friend's house last night, and we discussed these (he also enjoys classical), and he lent me this CD:


He said he really enjoys this recording of The Creation. I noticed it got a great review at Classicstoday.com. Any thoughts on this recording? I'm going to give it a listen today.

I have that version (as listed above). Great HIP recording, and price factor smashes others.

I like the both. If I was forced to pick between the two it would be The Seasons I suppose. I own the Gardiner versions for both right now.

Jim

These are amongst Haydn's greatest works, but I cannot engender more than a fairly healthy respect for them.


Beethoven's Christ on the Mount of Olives, Mozart's Davidde Penitente, Schumann's Paradise and the Peri and Faust Scenes, Berlioz's Damnation of Faust, Liszt's St Elizabeth, Brahms' German Requiem, and Elgar's Gerontius, Apostles and the Kingdom, for example, are all more or less in the oratorio style and at least equal in my view to those Haydn works, as sincere as they are.

Of these I would rate the Schumann works and Gerontius as the finest works in the genre after the days of Bach and Handel, granting that the Penitent David is very fine (although most of the music is recycled from Mozart's unfinished C Minor Mass)

Just finished The Creation, recording by Marriner. I think it's great work, too long though - I don't dig 3rd part with Adam and Eva, it seems out of place, I imagined this work as description of the creation itself, visions of angels flying around new-made world and singing O LA LA HOW BEAUTIFUL and playing angelic horns and the whole thing as huge celebration kept strictly to the process of creation, process = dynamism.

So the first part I like the most, second and third are still good with moments of greatness (final chorus in 3rd part is especially awesome - the best of all in this work IMO - and is good to my vision of a lot of angels flying around the new-made world in awe and celebrating it).

I think I'm going to check other recordings with singers I know and like.

The Creation is his finest work, I have the Spering recording and it is excellent.