Composer: Franz Joseph Haydn
Performer: Milah Persson, Topi Lehtipuu, David Wilson-Johnson, Salzburger Bachchoir
Orchestra: Mozarteumorchester Salzburg
Conductor: Ivor Bolton
Number of Discs: 2
Format: FLAC (tracks)
Label: Oehms
Catalogue: OC609
Release: 2007
Size: 449 MB
Recovery: +3%
Scan: cover
The Creation, Hob. XXI:2
CD 01
Part 1
01. Introduction. Die Vorstellung des Chaos (Raphael, Chorus, Uriel)
02. Aria. Nun schwanden vor dem heiligen Strahle (Uriel, Chorus)
03. Recitative. Und Gott machte das Firmament (Raphael)
04. Mit Staunen sieht das Wunderwerk (Gabriel, Chorus)
05. Recitative. Und Gott sprach: Es sammle sich das Wasser (Raphael)
06. Aria. Rollend in schaumenden Wellen (Raphael)
07. Recitative. Und Gott sprach: Es bringe die Erde Gras hervor (Gabriel)
08. Aria. Nun beut die Flur das frische Grun (Gabriel)
09. Recitative. Und die himmlischen Heerscharen verkundigten (Uriel)
10. Stimmt an die Saiten, ergreift die Leier (Chorus)
11. Recitative. Und Gott sprach: Es sei’n Lichter an der Feste des Himmels (Uriel)
12. Recitative. In vollem Glanze steiget jetzt die Sonne strahlend auf (Uriel)
13. Die Himmel erzahlen die Ehre Gottes (Chorus, Gabriel, Uriel, Raphael)
Part 2
14. Recitative. Und Gott sprach: Es bringe das Wasser in der Fulle hervor webende Geschopfe (Gabriel)
15. Aria. Auf starkem Fittiche schwinget sich der Adler stolz (Gabriel)
16. Recitative. Und Gott schuf grosse Walfische (Raphael)
17. Recitative. Und die Engel ruhrten ihr’ unsterblichen Harfen (Raphael)
18. Trio. In holder Anmut steh’n (Gabriel, Uriel, Raphael)
19. Der Herr ist gross in seiner Macht (Chorus)
CD 02
Part 2
01. Recitative. Und Gott sprach: Es bringe die Erde hervor (Raphael)
02. Recitative. Gleich offnet sich der Erde Schoss (Raphael)
03. Aria. Nun scheint in vollem Glanze der Himmel (Raphael)
04. Recitative. Und Gott schuf den Menschen nach seinem Ebenbilde (Uriel)
05. Aria. Mit Wurd’ und Hoheit angetan (Uriel)
06. Recitative. Und Gott sah jedes Ding, was er gemacht hatte (Raphael)
07. Vollendet ist das grosse Werk (Chorus)
08. Trio. Zu dir, o Herr, blickt alles auf (Gabriel, Uriel, Raphael)
09. Vollendet ist das grosse Werk (Chorus)
Part 3
10. Introduction and Recitative. Aus Rosenwolken bricht (Uriel)
11. Duet. Von deiner Gut’, o Herr und Gott (Eve, Adam, Chorus)
12. Recitative. Nun ist die erste Pflicht erfullt (Adam, Eve)
13. Duet. Holde Gattin, dir zur Seite (Adam, Eve)
14. Recitative. O glucklich Paar, und glucklich immerfort (Uriel)
15. Finale. Singt dem Herren alle Stimmen! (Chorus)
Some of the greatest attractions of Haydn’s oratorio lie in its orchestral depictions of natural phenomena… As played here by the Salzburg Mozarteum Orchestra, and also recorded with exemplary clarity and definition, such descriptive touches come over splendidly, exhibiting particular vividness
This inspiring new Creation deserves a place alongside Harnoncourt (occasionally perverse but always thought-provoking), Gardiner (magnificent except for Sylvia McNair’s coyly winsome Gabriel) and Spering (a terrific Naxon bargain). Choice may well be clinched by the soloists. For my money Bolton’s trio are the best of all recent versions.
The split between the grand old-fashioned symphonic performance of Haydn’s The Creation and newfangled historically oriented interpretations is increasingly blurred by the emergence of modern conductors and players who have taken advantage of the insights of the historically minded contingent. This new recording of Haydn’s The Creation, recorded in German, is a completely mixed bag that may make a fine contemporary choice for listeners whose comfort zone doesn’t extend far into the authentic-performance realm. The Mozarteum-Orchester Salzburg uses mostly modern instruments, with a few natural brasses in the mix. The Salzburger Bachchor is a fine specimen of the excellent local choirs found all over Germany and Austria; there is nothing to fault in their hearty singing, and nothing too surprising. The three soloists are not early music specialists but appealing voices in classic molds, with Miah Persson’s Eve a standout. (The production is quite an international affair, with an English conductor leading Austrian musicians and choristers, along with one English and two Scandinavian soloists.) There’s nothing here to disturb any listener who grew up with the Haydn oratorios as done by Colin Davis, but a good deal is taken from historical-performance versions, and all of it is in the orchestra. The texture is thinned out to a point where all of Haydn’s pictorial devices, hidden for a century and a half, come through in full detail — a historical development something like the cleaning of paintings in Italian cathedrals that have revealed riotous treatments of color. (Sample “Raphael’s ode to creatures that creep across the earth,” CD 2, track 3, especially the point where Haydn depicts the “heavy beasts,” for an idea of the benefits of this approach.) Bolton makes a few odd choices, such as the tempo lurch that introduces the polyphonic section of “Die Himmel erzählen die Ehre Gottes” (The heavens are telling…), but the live sound — there is little or no audience noise — is perfectly in line with the performers’ aims, and for the listener who wants a compromise between the rich traditional sound and newer interpretations, this two-disc set merits strong consideration.