Harnoncourt: Haydn – Die Schöpfung, 2003 (2 CD, FLAC)

Performer: Dorothea Röschmann, Michael Schade, Arnold Schonberg Choir
Orchestra: Concentus Musicus Wien
Conductor: Nickolaus Harnoncourt
Composer: Franz Joseph Haydn
Audio CD
SPARS Code: DDD
Number of Discs: 2
Format: FLAC (image+cue)
Label: Deutsche Harmonia Mundi
Size: 432 MB
Recovery: +3%
Scan: yes

Gabriel – Dorothea Röschmann
Uriel – Michael Schade
Raphael – Christian Gerhaher
Eva – Dorothea Röschmann
Adam – Christian Gerhaher

Musikvereinssaal, Wien 2003

CD 1
01. Erster Theil: Die Vorstellung des Chaos – Largo
02. Rezitativ: ‘Im Anfange schuf Gott Himmel und Erde’ (Raphael)
03. Arie mit Chor – Andante/Allegro moderato: ‘Nun schwanden vor dem heiligen Strahle’ (Uriel)
04. Rezitativ – Allegro assai: ‘Und Gott machte das Firmament’ (Raphael)
05. Chor mit Sopran solo – Allegro: ‘Mit Staunen sieht das Wunderwerk’ (Chor, Gabriel)
06. Rezitativ: ‘Und Gott sprach: Es sammle sich das Wasser’ (Raphael)
07. Arie – Allegro assai: ‘Rollend in schaumenden Wellen’ (Raphael)
08. Rezitativ: ‘Und Gott sprach: Es bringe die Erde Gras hervor’ (Gabriel)
09. Arie – Andante: ‘Nun beut die Flur das frische Grun’ (Gabriel)
10. Rezitativ: ‘Und die himmlischen Heerscharen verkundigten den dritten Tag’ (Uriel)
11. Chor – Vivace: ‘Stimmt an die Saiten, ergreit die Leyer!’ (Chor)
12. Rezitativ: ‘Und Gott sprach: Es sei’n Lichter an der Feste des Himmels’ (Uriel)
13. Rezitativ – Andante/piu Adagio/Allegro: ‘In vollem Glanze steiget jetzt die Sonne strahlend auf’ (Uriel)
14. Chor mit Soli: ‘Die Himmel erzahlen die Ehre Gottes… Dem kommenden Tage sagt es der Tag’ (Chor, Gabriel, Uriel, Raphael)

CD 2
01. Zweiter Theil: Rezitativ – Allegro: ‘Und Gott sprach: Es bringe das Wasser in der Fulle hervor’ (Gabriel)
02. Arie – Moderato: ‘Auf starkem Fittige schwinget sich’ (Gabriel)
03. Rezitativ – poco Adagio: ‘Und Gott schuf gro?e Wallfische’ (Raphael)
04. Rezitativ: ‘Und die Engel ruhrten ihr’ unsterblichen Harpfen’ (Raphael)
05. Terzett: ‘In holder Anmut stehn, mit jungem Grun geschmuckt’ (Gabriel, Uriel, Raphael)
06. Rezitativ: ‘Und Gott sprach: Es bringe die Erde hervor’ (Raphael)
07. Rezitativ – Presto/Andante/Adagio: ‘Gleich offnet sich der Erde Scho?’ (Raphael)
08. Arie – Maestoso: ‘Nun scheint in vollem Glanze der Himmel’ (Raphael)
09. Rezitativ: ‘Und Gott schuf den Menschen nach seinem Ebenbilde’ (Uriel)
10. Arie – Andante: ‘Mit Wurd’ und Hoheit angethan’ (Uriel)
11. Rezitativ: ‘Und Gott sah jedes Ding, was er gemacht hatte’ (Raphael)
12. Chor – Vivace: ‘Vollendet ist das gro?e Werk’ – ‘Zu dir, o Herr, blickt alles auf’ (Chor, Gabriel, Uriel)
13. Dritter Theil: Rezitativ – Largo: ‘Aus Rosenwolken bricht, geweckt durch su?en Klang’ (Uriel)
14. Duett und Chor – Adagio/Allegretto: ‘Von diener Gut’, o Herr und Gott’ – ‘Gesegnet sei des Herren Macht!’ (Adam, Eva, Chor)
15. Rezitativ: ‘Nun ist die erste Pflicht erfullt’ (Adam)
16. Duett – Adagio: ‘Holde Gattin! Dir zur Seite’ (Adam, Eva)
17. Rezitativ: ‘O glucklich Paar! und glucklich immerfort’ (Uriel)
18. Schlusschor (mit Soli) – Andante: ‘Singt dem Herren alle Stimmen!’

Harnoncourt’s Back in a Big Way

This has been the first release with Harnoncourt and the Concentus Musicus Wien in quite some time, and the first for Harnoncourt’s new label (BMG). Because of the long hiatus, just about anything would have done, but, luckily, we don’t have to settle for just anything: this new release is a real winner in every way.
By far the more popular of Haydn’s two major oratorios, The Creation has been recorded by several period instrument orchestras in the past decade or so, but it’s refreshing and almost revelatory to hear it done by one of the founding fathers of the early music movement. This is Harnoncourt’s second recording of this work (his first was for Teldec in the 1980’s – now long out of print)but his first on period instruments, and is definitely the better of the two.
As one would expect, Harnoncourt’s choice of tempi are idiosynchratic and unique. Considering this is a period performance, Harnoncourt is almost uniformly slow, but this is not necessarily a bad thing. Whatever Harnoncourt does, even when it’s unexpected and bizarre, he usually does well and with a great deal of thought and panache, and this recording is no exception. As usual with a Harnoncourt recording, this new reading of Haydn’s masterpiece encourages the listener to hear the work in a new way, and even those who might have thought they knew The Creation backwards and forwards will be happily surprised to find that new discoveries await them here.
As far as the soloists go, Harnoncourt could not have been better blessed. Dorothea Roschmann has been one of my favorite new voices for several years now, and she shines, definitely topping Gruberova, who sang for Harnoncourt in his earlier version. Among the delights is the gorgeous first duet for Adam and Eva, in which Roschmann poignantly brings forth Eva’s wonder and joy in the newly created world.
Michael Schade, a top rate baritone who just signed with BMG recently, is another inspired choice, his rich, resonant voice blending with Roschmann’s and Gerhaher (the tenor)melodiously.
While, perhaps, not as robust as the Bruno Weil recording on Sony Vivarte, or as elegant as Gardiner’s on Archiv, Harnoncourt’s new version is well worth hearing.