Haydn the Creation and the Seasons recommendations?

[Д.Д.]

Would appreciate some.

[J.A.W.]

The versions I have are The Seasons (Die Jahreszeiten) by John Eliot Gardiner, the English Baroque Soloists, various singers and the Monteverdi Choir (Archiv 2CD-set) and The Creation (Schöpfungsmesse) by Richard Hickox, Collegium 90 and various singers (Chandos). They're both on my sale list, as religious works are not really my cup of tea.

[edit] Gardiner recorded Die Jahreszeiten twice, both for Archiv. His later recording is often preferred.

Edited November 15, 2013 by J.A.W.

[Larry Kart]

I like these two:

The Seasons -- Harnoncourt

http://www.theguardian.com/music/2009/may/28/haydn-jahreszeiten-kuhmeier

The Creation -- Markevitch

http://www.arkivmusic.com/classical/album.jsp?album_id=171797

[king ubu]

coulnd't say I'm very familiar with both works, but the ones I've got are:

The Creation - Karajan (live 1965)

also got the 2003 Harnoncourt but unplayed yet (review 1, review 2), and the Bruno Weil in the Vivarte box, also unplayed yet

The Seasons - Gardiner

The Seasons - Harnoncourt

I guess the only one I'm a wee bit familiar is the Karajan above ... but I'm slowly getting more into Haydn ...

The Harnoncourt is of course the same as the one Larry already pointed the way to a review of.

[king ubu]

btw, David, I got the Harnoncourt versions of both in this box (it was even a bit cheaper when I bought it):

http://www.amazon.de/Sacred-Music-Edition-Arnold-Schoenberg/dp/B002S3BINU/

The box includes the regular editions, jumbo jewel cases with rather pagey booklets, not just some cheapo slimcases - but it needs lots of space, and its innards (thick cardboard, actually, kind of a frame where to put in the jewel cases) were thrashed in mine, but I don't care much, all jewel cases were intact.

[mikeweil]

For me Hogwood's recording of The Creation is as good as it gets. It has the necessary grand sound and agility at the same time. There is a DVD too, but it features some National Geographic videos or similar rather than the ensemble playing.

I was not that fascinated by Gardiner's Die Jahreszeiten, would have to listen to it again. It's the work, not Gardiner's version, methinks ....

[David Ayers]

I guess these are works, like Messiah, best heard in performance - can't get interested in the recordings...

but that's just me

[king ubu]

Hm, no, I find "Messiah" pretty gripping on CD (the Christie being my preferred version so far), but the Haydn just sort of passes by (I'm listening to Gardiner's 1990 "Seasons" right now), but there are wonderful parts in it.

(sorry, mixed up Seasons and Creation!)

Edited November 16, 2013 by king ubu

[David Ayers]

Not bothered about Seasons: Creation gets an outing in London most years - enough for me

Oh and Messiah - that's performed here every year for sure (!) - this year it will be AAM for me.

[Д.Д.]

Thanks, gentlemen.

[David Ayers]

Thanks, gentlemen.

We've only just got started...

[Blue Train]

Hogwood for Creation

Bohm for Seasons.

[king ubu]

Listening to the Harnoncourt "Creation" right now ... starts out wonderfully! Guess, I too am more partial to this piece than to "The Seasons", after all.

Here are a pair of reviews:

http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2004/Mar04/Haydn_creation.htm

http://www.bbc.co.uk/music/reviews/hpvr

(For a negative one, go to allmusic - but not, frankly, one I'd pay much attention to, as it doesn't bother to go into much detail beyond the harsh putting down.)