Haydn’s The Seasons; Gabrieli Consort and Players Radio3 in Concert Monday 20th

[Flosshilde]

A sentiment I'd echo. A sparkling performance that has a qwonderful 'swing' to it.

[Keraulophone]

Despite a dodgy libretto, the music is thrillingly colourful late Haydn. I first learnt it in the late '70s, in its thankfully obscure German guise, for an RFH concert and Decca recording conducted by Antal Dorati, being the second instalment of his survey of Haydn's three oratorios. (Pub music quiz question: name the least-known one!) My most abiding memory during the concert performance was of Dorati attempting to conduct from the harpsichord, waving his arms up and down in synch (he was then known as 'the downhill skier'), while rearranging two pairs of spectacles perched precariously on his head, one for reading the continuo part on the harpsichord, the other for surveying the RPO. The chorus, and possibly the orchestra, were relieved to find that the producer, James Mallinson, had persuaded Dorati to use a pro harpsichordist for the recording in Kingsway Hall (RIP), but it was still quite hard to follow his 'downhill' beat, so we usually watched the leader Barry Griffiths instead. It still gets an outing on the turntable or CD player, though it is decidedly more operatic than modern approaches, with soloists Cotrubas, Krenn and Sotin. At around the same time, Dorati was also recording Haydn operas in Lausanne.