Die Jahreszeiten (the Seasons)

Miah Persson (soprano), Jeremy Ovenden (tenor), Andrew Foster-Williams (bass-baritone) & London Symphony Chorus & London Symphony Orchestra, Sir Colin Davis

Na het triomfantelijke succes van De Schepping, die in heel Europa snel aan populariteit won, stelde Van Swieten Haydn een ander gezamenlijk project voor. Deze keer was het gerelateerd aan Thomson's epos "De Seizoenen". Haydns oratorium "De Seizoenen", voor het eerst uitgevoerd in 1801, is een van de laatste grote werken van de componist. Het lijkt op "De Schepping" met zijn verheerlijking van een idyllische, goddelijk geordende wereld, maar omspant een nog bredere boog van de beschreven hertenjacht en druivenoogst tot een lofzang op de Almachtige. Sir Colin Davis bewijst opnieuw een sympathieke vertolker van Haydn te zijn.

Haydn:
 The Seasons, Hob.XXI:3 (Sung in German)

"How the LSO so instinctively finds the right kind of scale for playing Haydn is miraculous!...Miah Persson as Jane is all innocence and freshness, without the least diminution of tonal fullness; Jeremy Ovenden as Lucas reminds one with his flexibility and lovely open sound of Philip Langridge occasionally (there can be no higher praise); and Andrew Foster-Williams as Simon is a real bass, excelling as ploughman or huntsman and never turning cavernous."
International Record Review - July/August 2011

"Sir Colin Davis's live account is founded on purposive modern-instrument playing and the conductor's own irrepressible dynamism; in this early eighties, he continues to show a sharp-eared appreciation of the characteristic detail of Haydn's writing...the performance displays clarity and precision: the sound articulates the complex texutres neatly, allowing Haydn's remarkable scoring and and highly effective vocal writing to register to delightful effect."
BBC Music Magazine - August 2011 ****

"From cheeky surface details to the underlying sense of optimism, Colin Davis is alive to every nuance of Haydn's late masterpiece. The conductor's lightness of touch allows the music to flow like quicksilver, albeit without undermining the work's long-range architecture...The soloists are also on beguiling form."
Classic FM Magazine - August 2011 *****

"He is as responsive as ever to both the zest and humour of this most joyous of oratorios...Fugues always unfold with cumulative power...[The LSO chorus] sing with spirit, crisp diction and plenty of punch at climaxes - impressive agility, too......All three soloists are well-chosen...this exhilarating and affectionate LSO performance can be recommended to anyone wanting The Seasons in German, performed with modern instruments.
Gramophone Magazine - September 2011