BaL 28.12.13 - Haydn's The Creation

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

9.30am Building a Library
Iain Burnside with a personal recommendation from recordings of Haydn's oratorio The Creation

Available versions:-


Pecs Chamber Choir Hungary, Chamber Choir of the Berlin Academy of Arts, Shin-yu Kai Choir Japan, World SO, Mushe Atzmon
Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra and Chorus, Leonard Bernstein (CD & DVD)
New York PO and Chorus, Leonard Bernstein
Salzburg Bach Choir, Mozarteum Orchester Salzburg, Ivor Bolton
Philharmonia Orchestra & Chorus, Rafael Fruhbeck de Burgos
Les Arts Florissants, William Christie
LSO & Chorus, Sir Colin Davis
Brighton Festival Chorus, RPO, Antal Dorati
Austro-Hungarian Haydn Orchestra, Vienna Chamber Choir, Adam Fischer
Der Chor der St. Hedwigs-Katherdrale Berlin, Berlin SO, Karl Forster
Monteverdi Choir, English Baroque Soloists, Sir John Eliot Gardiner
Orchester der Ludwigsburger, Suddeitsches Madrigalchor, Wolfgang Gonnenwein
Zurcher Sangerknaben, Zurcher Kammerorchester, Howard Griffiths
Saarbrucken Radio SO, Neubeuern Choral Society, Enocj zu Guttenberg
Arnold Schoenberg Chor, Concentus Musicus Wien, Niklaus Harnoncourt
Arnold Schoenberg Chor, Vienna Symphony Orchestra, Niklaus Harnoncourt
Balthasar Neumann Chor & Ensemble, Thomas Hengelbrock
Collegium Musicum 90, Richard Hickox
Choir of New College Oxford, Oxford Philomusica, Edward Higginbottom
Academy of Ancient Music, Christopher Hogwood (DVD) - in English
Choir of New College Oxford, AAM, Christopher Hogwood
RIA Chamber Choir, Freiburger Barockorchester, Rene Jacobs
Vienna Volksoper, Jasha Horenstein
Eugene Jochum
Berlin PO, Vienna Singverein, Herbert von Karajan
Vienna PO, Vienna Singverein, Herbert von Karajan
Cologne Radio Orchestra, Choir Cologne, Joseph Keiberth
Rundfunk Berlin, Helmuth Koch
BRSO & Chorus, Rafael Kubelik
Rome Della RAI, Rafael Kubelik
Arnold Schoenberg Chor, Collegium Aureum, Gustav Kuhn
La Petite Bande, Collegium Vocale Gent, Sigiswald Kuijken
Stockholm Radio Chorus,Stockholm Chamber Choir, BPO, James Levine
Gabrieli Consort & Players, Chetham's Chamber Choir, Paul McCreesh (in English)
St Hedwig's Choir, BPO, Igor Markevitch (download)
Cappella Colonienssi, Weiner Akademie, Sir Neville Marriner
Weiner Sangerknaben, Peter Marschik (CD & DVD)
Choeur de l'Orchester de Paris, Israel PO, Zubin Mehta
Vienna State Opera Chorus, VPO, Karl Munchinger
VPO, Vienna State Opera Chorus, Riccardo Muti
Netherlands Radio Chamber Philharmonic & Radio Chamber Choir, John Nelson (DVD)
RIAS Chamber Choir, COE, Sir Roger Norrington
Boston Baroque, Martin Pearlman
CBSO & Chorus, Sir Simon Rattle (in English)
St Paul's Chamber Orchestra, Minnesota Chorale, John Revzen (download)
Stuttgart Gachinger Kantorei, Stuttgart Bach Collegium, Helmuth Rilling
Schottisches Kammerorchester, Festivalchor Luzern, Peter Schreier (DVD)
Atlanta SO & Chorus, Robert Shaw
Vokal Ensemble Koln, Capella Augustina, Andrea Spering
BRSO & Chorus, Sir Georg Solti
LPO and Choir, Klaus Tennstedt
Gurzenich Orchestra & Choir of Cologne, Gunter Wand
Tolzer Knabenchor, Tafelmusic, Bruno Weil
Choir of King's College Cambridge, ASMF, Sir David Willcocks

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

To set the ball rolling, my first recording of this work was a 21st birthday present from my music student friends: the CBS/NYPO/Bernstein. It was very kind of them, but it was issued at a ridiculously high dynamic level, resulting in compression. Furthermore there was serious pre-echo at the key moment "and there was light". For a number of years I thought perhaps American musicians were crass and insensitive, but it was only the engineers who were this. A few years later, I bought the Decca/VPO Munchinger, which had received rave reviews, and deservedly so, and so tastefully recorded, and still a favourite version, though now out of fashion with the nouveau establishment.

[BBMmk2]

I have McCreesh, JEG and Rattle, plus Dorati.

[aeolium]

Thanks for the list, EA. You could add a version I first bought on CFP with the Philharmonia and Rafael Fruhbeck de Burgos for which I still have some affection. I also like the Dorati and Bernstein's recording with the Bavarians. I think it very likely Burnside will go for a more historically informed performance though.

Another easy job for the reviewer

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

Thanks for the list, EA. You could add a version I first bought on CFP with the Philharmonia and Rafael Fruhbeck de Burgos for which I still have some affection.

It's available from Arkiv Music, so I've added this one.

I think it very likely Burnside will go for a more historically informed performance though.

You are probably right, but I hope he doesn't do a Roy Goodman and not consider anything else.

On reflection, he isn't particularly known as a HIPPster.

[visualnickmos]

I thought we were going to get Dvorak's 6th?

[verismissimo]

I thought we were going to get Dvorak's 6th?

This one's on the 28th.

[Rolmill]

This one's on the 28th.

Perhaps a kindly host could amend the thread title accordingly?

[LeMartinPecheur]

I can field one a wee bit off the beaten track and not on EA's listing - a mono DGG Markevich.

Not sure whether it's been officially issued on CD in the UK: my discs look slightly unofficial, with Italian duty(?) stickers on them. Bought from something like a Harlequin Records bargain bin IIRC. The star of the soloists is Irmgard Seefried, with Richard Holm and Kim Borg.

Time I bought a better one in this here new-fangled 'stereo'?

[Flosshilde]

The first I heard was the Rafael Fruhbeck de Burgos, borrowed from the public library, an awful lot of years ago. Although it's a work I love I never bought a recording because, as far as I can remember, none of the others I could find had the repeat in part 3 (not sure why I didn't buy that one - perhaps because it was no longer available?). I've now got a recording issued with the BBCMM in Dec 2001 & Jan 2002, with Harry Christophers & the BBC Phil, Nancy Argenta, William Kendall & Michael George. Presumably this one won't be discussed . Perhaps it's time I bought a more HIPP performance.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

This one's on the 28th.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

I can field one a wee bit off the beaten track and not on EA's listing - a mono DGG Markevich.

This does appear to be available as a download. Duly added.

[verismissimo]

Thanks for amending, Alpie.
The Jochum in your list is presumably with Bavarian Radio Chorus and Orchestra (1966). I have it on LP and will revisit. Also have the Bernstein with the same forces (1986). So nothing even faintly HIP, a situation that I'll hopefully be able to deal with post-BAL.
BTW both Jochum and Bernstein are wonderful with Haydn.

[MickyD]

I have Hogwood (English version) and Jacobs and Weil (German). Not sure which I prefer...the Bruno Weil one was a recent acquisition and l like it very much.

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

Thanks for the list, EA. You could add a version I first bought on CFP with the Philharmonia and Rafael Fruhbeck de Burgos for which I still have some affection.

- the explosion into sunlight isn't done better anywhere else.

Not even the superb Karajan/BPO which has the incomparable Gundula Janowitz - and is cut!! - but still my favourite "Big Band" version.

I also have the Hogwood, but would like a German-language HIP performance: Jacobs looks very tempting, but I'm grateful to MickyD for mentioning the Bruno Weil - I love his recordings of the Haydn Masses, and it would be appropriate to have Karajan next to one of his apprentices on the shelves.

Useful background reading to the work (and The Seasons) here:

http://www.earlymusicworld.com/id26.html

... Brian Robins may be a familiar name to EMS regulars - he edited the John Marsh Journals which featured recently.