Customer Reviews

Haydn: Die Schöpfung (The Creation) / Gardiner, The English Baroque Soloists

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Gardiner's "Schoepfung" is marvellously performed! It is a delight from start to finish and a real "authentic" rival to the classical Karajan set. All the artists (Sylvia McNair/Gabriel, Michael Schade/Uriel, Gerald Finley/Raphael, Rodney Gilfry/Adam, Donna Brown/Eva - for those who searched in vain for the list of performers on the product information page) are perfectly cast and sing with real zest. Sylvia McNair, whose silvery voice can often go off pitch and whose short breath sometimes cuts musical phrases too early (not obtrusively here), works wonders with the dove trill in the famous avian aria "Auf starkem Fittiche" (CD 1, track 16) - her GIRRT in "Und Liebe girrt das zarte Taubenpaar" (track 16, 2'16'') is a pure delight (try now Janowitz on DG). It is just a small detail, but the whole performance is full of these delightful vocal and orchestral little touches and full of "creative" sparkles. I recommend it wholeheartedly to everybody, even those who believe that they found the perfect "Creation" in the Karajan's set. I only wonder about that "technical glitch" a reviewer from Oakland mentions below. Is it the volume of the choral explosion "Und es ward Licht!"? If so, I believe that this very loud cry works very effectively here (I heard it done much louder). Everybody who knows Haydn's masterpiece waits for this particular moment with hands close to the ears. But the newcomers should be warned (STOP READING HERE IF YOU DON'T WANT TO BE DEPRIVED OF A SURPRISE) - don't turn the volume up when the chorus is hardly audible in the 2 track of the first CD (around the 2nd minute). It is as if Haydn anticipated the Big Bang!

Wow! I was really impressed by this recording. Gardiner's direction is awesome and has great momentum. The Monteverdi Choir is glorious, surely one of the greatest choirs in the world. The English Baroque sounds so great, even people who usually prefer modern instruments will love them. Sylvia McNair sings like an angel, and Archiv's 4D warm digital super sound will take your breath away and transform your home into a concert hall. The other soloists are also wonderful. As for Gardiner's competition, the Monteverdi Choir is much better than the Vienna Singverein. By the way, the choruses and arias in Haydn's Creation sound much more musical and inspiring in the original German. Don't settle for an English recording unless you absolutely must understand the recitatives, which are short anyways. One of my favorite recordings, and the first time that I enjoyed all of Haydn's Creation. Strongly recommended.

Gardiner's recordings of the two great oratorios composed by Haydn towards the end of his career and his life (the other being "The Seasons") are superb in every way. I agree with earlier 5-star reviewers as to the merits of this recording of "The Creation," so I will not repeat them here. If the balance of clarity and warmth achieved by Gardiner and his musicians pleases you, you may wish to listen to the recordings made earlier by Rafael Kubelik and Eugen Jochum, both with the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra and Chorus and first-rank soloists, the former on the Orfeo label and the latter as a Philips Duo. Gardiner uses "period" instruments while Kubelik and Jochum, whose careers pre-date Gardiner's, use "modern" instruments. In all three cases one senses an authenticity of style and a fidelity to Haydn's profoundly spiritual intentions.

If you wish to hear The Creation sung in English as originally conceived, I recommend Christopher Hogwood's splendid recording. He, like Gardiner, uses "period" instruments. Hogwood's musicians produce a brighter, clearer, lighter sound that is fully effective if very different from the more Germanic sound of the other recordings I've mentioned. Another excellent recording of the English version is that by Robert Shaw. His sound is perhaps the weightiest of all yet his choral forces never lose clarity.

There are many other complete recordings of "The Creation" - more than thirty of them. I've heard many but not all of them. If you are new to this work, I recommend any of the recordings mentioned above. I would not recommend the recordings by Von Karajan (much hyped) or by James Levine (whose work I usually admire). In any event, do not deprive yourself of Haydn's masterpiece in which he indeed manages to include and express all of Creation.

I think one can fairly confidently say that the 'glitch' mentioned by your reviewer from Oakland is no glitch, but one of the most dramatic representations of Haydn's intention I have ever heard. And the chaos at the beginning is truly menacing. A truly fantastic recording!

This is a first rate performance of this great work. Supposedly inspired by Haydn's encounters with Handel's oratorios during one of his stays in London, The Creation musters the largest forces of any of Haydn's works. Virtually all aspects of this performance are excellent. This includes the orchestra, some wonderful choral work, and fine solo singing. Sylvia McNair is particularly good as the Archangel Gabriel. The Creation leaves a distinct impression; one of serenity and confidence. It is not as showy as the Handel oratorios, but entirely satisfying.

The reviewers here have quite exhaustively extolled the glories of this magnificent recording, and I would of course recommend it to anyone as a benchmark of this great work.

Purchasers may want to take note of the budget alternative available recently also sold on amazon.com, which come with a well-written and comprehensive synopsis by Jeremy Siepmann and translation.

I would also like to recommend the recording on Naxos, at an even more budget price, which is comparable to Gardiner's version. The Representation of Chaos for instance, is performed at a slower pace, allowing the majesties of the music to unfold in a more full-fledged manner.

I'm a huge fan of JEG, but found this "Creation" disappointing, mostly because of the soloists. As always, Gardiner's extraordinary attention to instrumental detail, and his iron-fisted control over both the instrumental and vocal ensembles brings the chorus and instrumentals to vivid and sometimes startling life. However, Michael Schade and Sylvia McNair are both woefully underpowered and miscast as the Angels Uriel and Gabriel, respectively. Schade doesn't begin to have the vocal chops necessary for Uriel's challenging soli, although his tone is pleasant. McNair won't be able to last much longer on the strength of her unusually beautiful instrument if she doesn't learn some technique; she sounds continually short of breath, and is so underpowered that even in her soli with the orchestra it is sometimes impossible to hear her; and in some of the choral ensembles, her part is completely lost. Her tendency to "scoop" and to stray from the pitch are also disappointing. Her perfectly even, rapid trill serves her very well in several moments, however.

This is the third time I have heard "The Creatiom" this year, surely a record for an amateur. I loved it each time. It's not fair to compare a disc to an actual performance. I can't imagine a better performance of this magnificent work. The sound is good, the soloists are excellent (especially the bass',as always), the orchestra is top-notch. If I had better speakers, I would be overwhelmed by these discs.

Whenever I feel tired and blue, I would listen to this marvellous recording of 'The Creation'. Singers are great and virtuoso with melismas, and Gardiner is at his best here...

Gardiner and his band are simply splendid! More Haydn, please!