Customer Reviews

Joseph Haydn: Die Jahreszeiten

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Was Captain Bligh above referring to the crew of the HMS Bounty or the rank and file of the Concentus Musicus Wien? I suspect it is the latter. Over the years they have done it tough (a stint on the oars in a Roman trireme would have been easier than being a violinist in the CMW throughout the survey of Bach Cantatas and beyond). Indeed, one wonders why a Fletcher Christian has yet to arise from their ranks. While Harnoncourt is a diligent, perceptive conductor with integrity - a Showboat Billy he ain't - his interpretations rarely make for easy listening with their explosive accents, the eschewal of charm and wilful tempos. Unlike other practitioners of period practice, Harnoncourt does not anaemically shy away from grandeur like a vampire does light - to wit, the finale of Winter on this recording with its evocation of the Last Judgement - but it is always on his own terms. Harnoncourt's palette is unmistakable and sometimes unbearable. His triumphs notwithstanding, it must drive any full-blooded violinist crazy.

This is Harnoncourt's second take on the Die Jahreszeiten. It is less acerbic than the old Teldec recording which Gresham's Law, operating in reverse, has extirpated Haydn: The Seasons (Die Jahreszeiten). In light of its fate, one wonders why Sony bankrolled another exposition: it is laudable all the same.

Harnoncourt's achievement here is uneven. Regrettably, he pulls out the skipping rope in the famously languid introduction to Summer: our lunar neighbour has more atmosphere to its name (and the same could be said of its counterpart in Autumn). But conversely, the aria that follows (Der muntre Hirte versammelt nun) with the horns is as persuasive as any. Predictably, the Storm is fury incarnate and the Trio with Chorus that sees off summer is surprisingly evocative. Heading into Winter, I had been dreading that Harnoncourt was going to don the Nikes for the famous introduction but thankfully he defied my expectations: indeed, the sonority he invokes at 2'22" is astounding. The Kavatina that Janowitz sang so ravishingly under Karajan is spoilt by the fast tempo (Joseph Haydn: Die Jahreszeiten. I have never heard a better rendition of `Ein Machen, das auf Ehre hielt' - bravo to the Arnold Schoenberg Choir.

Of the three singers, I was most impressed by the baritone Christian Gerhaher with his stentorian declamations.

This is a Seasons to admire and respect than love. It is a worthwhile acquisition. As always, Harnoncourt - a great man - provides a rollercoaster experience with exhilarating thrills and dips that seemingly belie his stature. First choice remains Bohm's classic version from 1967 (Haydn: The Seasons. There, one focuses less on stylistic considerations and more on this Eclogue set to music.

And if a CMW violinist has yet to leap to his feet and cry "I am in hell, I am in hell" like the famous mutineer, long may music-making of this calibre continue.

Joseph Haydn: Die Jahreszeiten is a recording under the direction of Nikolaus Harnoncourt who leads the Concertus Musicus Wien on this deutsche harmonia mundi released from 2008 and distributed by Sony Music Entertainment. The booklet contains 55 pages. Joseph Beheim (translated into English by Clive Williams) has written a short and well-written essay entitled "Joseph Haydn: The Seasons". The lyrics are available in English and German. Highly recommended. 5/5.