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Haydn: The Creation / Pearlman, Boston Baroque
Linn Records

Haydn: The Creation / Pearlman, Boston Baroque

$28.99

Details

Composer
HAYDN, JOSEPH
Artist
Boston Baroque, Pearlman, Forsythe, Jameson, Deas
Format
SACD
Label
Linn Records
Released
Aug 28, 2012
Catalog #
CKD401
UPC
691062040129

About



HAYDN The Creation • Martin Pearlman, cond; Amanda Forsythe (sop); Keith Jameson (ten); Kevin Deas (bs-bar); Boston Baroque • LINN CKD 401 (2 SACDs: 96:09 Text and Translation)

I was disappointed in Boston Baroque’s recording of Cherubini’s C-Minor Requiem (Fanfare 30:5), but this Creation has, from its orchestral introduction, an essential rightness—of mood, sonority, drama, and tempo. As with Dinu Lipatti’s Schumann Concerto (the first time I experienced such a feeling), this is the way it should go. Martin Pearlman realizes the work’s character of being very serious yet radiantly joyful. His period orchestra (strings 6/5/4/4/2) has a full measure of both power and tenderness, without having to strain for either. The chorus (7/6/6/6) is magnificent; the opening of “Stimmt an die Saiten” (disc 1, track 11) is so electric that one wants to stand up and cheer. Pearlman’s vocal soloists are each superb, in voice and in delivery; their clean, never ostentatious ornamentations fit this particular work (the florid style of René Jacobs’s soloists is better suited to the more Baroque The Seasons), and they match beautifully in ensemble. The fortepiano continuo is always just right. Above all, the lofty spirit of the whole is thrilling.

The icing on the cake is Linn’s recorded sound, from Mechanics Hall in Worcester, Massachusetts, during October 2011. It is so realistic, so natural, that one might be sitting beside Beethoven at the premiere. Balances are ideal; the chorus is clearly spread from sopranos on the left to basses on the right, and every contrapuntal line comes through. This is Boston Baroque’s first recording for Linn, and it helps explain the vast improvement over its Cherubini. No doubt it is aided by listening on a system of all-Linn electronics (with KEF 104/2 speakers and/or Sennheiser HD 600 head phones). I blamed the Worcester Hall’s acoustics for the Cherubini’s problematic sound; either I was mistaken or Linn’s team, led by Thomas C. Moore of Five/Four Productions, Ltd., has worked miracles. SACD smoothes the sound, lessening the orchestra’s impact, but clarifies the choral lines even more; one has the sensation of almost hearing each individual voice, which is just as it should be. Surround sound restores any lost impact and throws the listener into the performance, a wondrous if slightly unreal effect.

Must there be something wrong? Okay, the side-by-side German/English libretto is in small white print on black pages, making one squint.

I haven’t been counting, but I’ll bet there have been 100 recordings of The Creation. This one stands comfortably at the pinnacle; among its close competitors, Thomas Hengelbrock on Deutsche Harmonia Mundi is sweeter but less dramatic, Neville Marriner’s incomparable EMI soloists steal the show in a modern-instrument performance. In more than six decades of listening, I have found that almost every new recording of any masterpiece brings more doubts, because every performance has characteristics that others lack. About once a decade have I found the recording, one that has everything: Willem Mengelberg’s (Telefunken) Franck D Minor, Otto Klemperer’s 1954 mono “Eroica,” David Willcocks’s “Lord Nelson” Mass, Klaus Tennstedt’s (pirate) live BSO Schubert Ninth, George Szell’s Schumann Second, Riccardo Chailly’s Gurrelieder, James Levine’s Prokofiev Fifth. Martin Pearlman’s Creation joins that list.

FANFARE: James H. North

Tracklist 32 tracks

  1. Disc 1
  2. 1 Part I: Die Vorstellung des Chaos (The Representation of Chaos) (Raphael, Uriel, Chorus) 05:08
    Track
    1
    Title
    Part I: Die Vorstellung des Chaos (The Representation of Chaos) (Raphael, Uriel, Chorus)
    Duration
    05:08
    Composer
    Franz Joseph Haydn
    Performer
    Kevin Deas, Keith Jameson
    Ensemble
    Boston Baroque
    Conductor
    Martin Pearlman
  3. 2 Part I: Im Anfange schuf Goff Himmel und Erde (Raphael, Uriel, Choir) 02:29
    Track
    2
    Title
    Part I: Im Anfange schuf Goff Himmel und Erde (Raphael, Uriel, Choir)
    Duration
    02:29
    Composer
    Franz Joseph Haydn
    Performer
    Kevin Deas, Keith Jameson
    Ensemble
    Boston Baroque
    Conductor
    Martin Pearlman
  4. 3 Part I: Nun schwanden vor dem heiligen Strahle (Now vanish before the holy beams) (Uriel, Chorus) 03:34
    Track
    3
    Title
    Part I: Nun schwanden vor dem heiligen Strahle (Now vanish before the holy beams) (Uriel, Chorus)
    Duration
    03:34
    Composer
    Franz Joseph Haydn
    Performer
    Keith Jameson
    Ensemble
    Boston Baroque
    Conductor
    Martin Pearlman
  5. 4 Part I: Und Gott machte das Firmament (And God made the firmament) (Raphael) 01:52
    Track
    4
    Title
    Part I: Und Gott machte das Firmament (And God made the firmament) (Raphael)
    Duration
    01:52
    Composer
    Franz Joseph Haydn
    Performer
    Kevin Deas
    Ensemble
    Boston Baroque
    Conductor
    Martin Pearlman
  6. 5 Part I: Chorus: Mit Staunen sieht das Wunderwerk (The marv'lous work beholds amaz'd (Gabriel) 01:49
    Track
    5
    Title
    Part I: Chorus: Mit Staunen sieht das Wunderwerk (The marv'lous work beholds amaz'd (Gabriel)
    Duration
    01:49
    Composer
    Franz Joseph Haydn
    Performer
    Amanda Forsythe
    Ensemble
    Boston Baroque
    Conductor
    Martin Pearlman
  7. 6 Part I: Und Gott sprach: Es sammle sich das Wasser (And God said: Let the waters under the heaven) (Raphael) 00:37
    Track
    6
    Title
    Part I: Und Gott sprach: Es sammle sich das Wasser (And God said: Let the waters under the heaven) (Raphael)
    Duration
    00:37
    Composer
    Franz Joseph Haydn
    Performer
    Kevin Deas
    Ensemble
    Boston Baroque
    Conductor
    Martin Pearlman
  8. 7 Part I: Rollend in schaumenden Wellen (Rolling in foaming billows) (Raphael) 03:47
    Track
    7
    Title
    Part I: Rollend in schaumenden Wellen (Rolling in foaming billows) (Raphael)
    Duration
    03:47
    Composer
    Franz Joseph Haydn
    Performer
    Kevin Deas
    Ensemble
    Boston Baroque
    Conductor
    Martin Pearlman
  9. 8 Part I: Und Gott sprach: Es bringe die Erde Gras hervor (And God said: Let all the earth bring forth grass) (Gabriel) 00:28
    Track
    8
    Title
    Part I: Und Gott sprach: Es bringe die Erde Gras hervor (And God said: Let all the earth bring forth grass) (Gabriel)
    Duration
    00:28
    Composer
    Franz Joseph Haydn
    Performer
    Amanda Forsythe
    Ensemble
    Boston Baroque
    Conductor
    Martin Pearlman
  10. 9 Part I: Nun beut die Flur das frische Grun (With verdure clad the fields appear) (Gabriel) 04:42
    Track
    9
    Title
    Part I: Nun beut die Flur das frische Grun (With verdure clad the fields appear) (Gabriel)
    Duration
    04:42
    Composer
    Franz Joseph Haydn
    Performer
    Amanda Forsythe
    Ensemble
    Boston Baroque
    Conductor
    Martin Pearlman
  11. 10 Part I: Und die himmlischen Heerscharen (And the Heav'nly host proclaimed the third day) (Uriel) 00:10
    Track
    10
    Title
    Part I: Und die himmlischen Heerscharen (And the Heav'nly host proclaimed the third day) (Uriel)
    Duration
    00:10
    Composer
    Franz Joseph Haydn
    Performer
    Keith Jameson
    Ensemble
    Boston Baroque
    Conductor
    Martin Pearlman
  12. 11 Part I: Stimmt an die Saiten (Awake the harp) (Chorus) 02:01
    Track
    11
    Title
    Part I: Stimmt an die Saiten (Awake the harp) (Chorus)
    Duration
    02:01
    Composer
    Franz Joseph Haydn
    Ensemble
    Boston Baroque
    Conductor
    Martin Pearlman
  13. 12 Part I: Und Gott sprach: Es seien Lichter an der Feste des Himmels (And God said: Let there be lights in the firmament of heaven) (Uriel) 00:32
    Track
    12
    Title
    Part I: Und Gott sprach: Es seien Lichter an der Feste des Himmels (And God said: Let there be lights in the firmament of heaven) (Uriel)
    Duration
    00:32
    Composer
    Franz Joseph Haydn
    Performer
    Keith Jameson
    Ensemble
    Boston Baroque
    Conductor
    Martin Pearlman
  14. 13 Part I: In vollem Glanze steiget jetzt die Sonne (In splendour bright is rising now the sun) (Uriel) 02:38
    Track
    13
    Title
    Part I: In vollem Glanze steiget jetzt die Sonne (In splendour bright is rising now the sun) (Uriel)
    Duration
    02:38
    Composer
    Franz Joseph Haydn
    Performer
    Keith Jameson
    Ensemble
    Boston Baroque
    Conductor
    Martin Pearlman
  15. 14 Part I: Die Himmel erzahlen die Ehre Gottes (The heavens are telling the glory of God) (Gabriel, Uriel, Raphael, Chorus) 04:03
    Track
    14
    Title
    Part I: Die Himmel erzahlen die Ehre Gottes (The heavens are telling the glory of God) (Gabriel, Uriel, Raphael, Chorus)
    Duration
    04:03
    Composer
    Franz Joseph Haydn
    Performer
    Amanda Forsythe, Keith Jameson, Kevin Deas
    Ensemble
    Boston Baroque
    Conductor
    Martin Pearlman
  16. 15 Part II: Und Gott sprach: Es bringe das Wasser in der Fulle hervor (And God said: Let the waters bring forth abundantly) (Gabriel) 00:25
    Track
    15
    Title
    Part II: Und Gott sprach: Es bringe das Wasser in der Fulle hervor (And God said: Let the waters bring forth abundantly) (Gabriel)
    Duration
    00:25
    Composer
    Franz Joseph Haydn
    Performer
    Amanda Forsythe
    Ensemble
    Boston Baroque
    Conductor
    Martin Pearlman
  17. 16 Part II: Auf starkem Fittiche schwinget sich der Adler stolz (On mighty pens uplifted soars the eagle aloft) (Gabriel) 07:01
    Track
    16
    Title
    Part II: Auf starkem Fittiche schwinget sich der Adler stolz (On mighty pens uplifted soars the eagle aloft) (Gabriel)
    Duration
    07:01
    Composer
    Franz Joseph Haydn
    Performer
    Amanda Forsythe
    Ensemble
    Boston Baroque
    Conductor
    Martin Pearlman
  18. 17 Part II: Und Gott schuf grosse Walfische (And God created great whales) (Raphael) 02:07
    Track
    17
    Title
    Part II: Und Gott schuf grosse Walfische (And God created great whales) (Raphael)
    Duration
    02:07
    Composer
    Franz Joseph Haydn
    Performer
    Kevin Deas
    Ensemble
    Boston Baroque
    Conductor
    Martin Pearlman
  19. 18 Part II: Und die Engel ruhrten ihre unsterblichten Harfen (And the angels struck their immortal harps) (Raphael) 00:21
    Track
    18
    Title
    Part II: Und die Engel ruhrten ihre unsterblichten Harfen (And the angels struck their immortal harps) (Raphael)
    Duration
    00:21
    Composer
    Franz Joseph Haydn
    Performer
    Kevin Deas
    Ensemble
    Boston Baroque
    Conductor
    Martin Pearlman
  20. 19 Part II: In holder Anmut stehn (Most beautiful appear) (Trio) - Der Herr ist gross (The Lord is great) (Trio and Chorus) 06:22
    Track
    19
    Title
    Part II: In holder Anmut stehn (Most beautiful appear) (Trio) - Der Herr ist gross (The Lord is great) (Trio and Chorus)
    Duration
    06:22
    Composer
    Franz Joseph Haydn
    Performer
    Amanda Forsythe, Keith Jameson, Kevin Deas
    Ensemble
    Boston Baroque
    Conductor
    Martin Pearlman
  21. 20 Part II: Und Gott sprach: Es bringe die Erde hervor lebende Geschopfe (And God said: Let the earth bring forth the living creature) (Raphael) 00:23
    Track
    20
    Title
    Part II: Und Gott sprach: Es bringe die Erde hervor lebende Geschopfe (And God said: Let the earth bring forth the living creature) (Raphael)
    Duration
    00:23
    Composer
    Franz Joseph Haydn
    Performer
    Kevin Deas
    Ensemble
    Boston Baroque
    Conductor
    Martin Pearlman
  22. 21 Part II: Gleich offnet sich der Erde Schoss (Straight opening her fertile womb) (Raphael) 02:57
    Track
    21
    Title
    Part II: Gleich offnet sich der Erde Schoss (Straight opening her fertile womb) (Raphael)
    Duration
    02:57
    Composer
    Franz Joseph Haydn
    Performer
    Kevin Deas
    Ensemble
    Boston Baroque
    Conductor
    Martin Pearlman
  23. 22 Part II: Nun scheint in vollem Glanze der Himmel (Now heav'n in fullest glory shone) (Raphael) 03:03
    Track
    22
    Title
    Part II: Nun scheint in vollem Glanze der Himmel (Now heav'n in fullest glory shone) (Raphael)
    Duration
    03:03
    Composer
    Franz Joseph Haydn
    Performer
    Kevin Deas
    Ensemble
    Boston Baroque
    Conductor
    Martin Pearlman
  24. 23 Part II: Und Gott schuf den Menschen nach seinem Ebenbilde (And God created man in his own image) (Uriel) 00:32
    Track
    23
    Title
    Part II: Und Gott schuf den Menschen nach seinem Ebenbilde (And God created man in his own image) (Uriel)
    Duration
    00:32
    Composer
    Franz Joseph Haydn
    Performer
    Keith Jameson
    Ensemble
    Boston Baroque
    Conductor
    Martin Pearlman
  25. 24 Part II: Mit Wurd' und Hoheit angetan (In native worth and honour clad) (Uriel) 03:26
    Track
    24
    Title
    Part II: Mit Wurd' und Hoheit angetan (In native worth and honour clad) (Uriel)
    Duration
    03:26
    Composer
    Franz Joseph Haydn
    Performer
    Keith Jameson
    Ensemble
    Boston Baroque
    Conductor
    Martin Pearlman
  26. 25 Part II: Und Gott sah jedes Ding, was er gemacht hatte (And God saw ev'rything that he had made) (Raphael) 00:29
    Track
    25
    Title
    Part II: Und Gott sah jedes Ding, was er gemacht hatte (And God saw ev'rything that he had made) (Raphael)
    Duration
    00:29
    Composer
    Franz Joseph Haydn
    Performer
    Kevin Deas
    Ensemble
    Boston Baroque
    Conductor
    Martin Pearlman
  27. 26 Part II: Zu dir, o Herr, blickt alles auf (Trio) 08:31
    Track
    26
    Title
    Part II: Zu dir, o Herr, blickt alles auf (Trio)
    Duration
    08:31
    Composer
    Franz Joseph Haydn
    Performer
    Amanda Forsythe, Keith Jameson, Kevin Deas
    Ensemble
    Boston Baroque
    Conductor
    Martin Pearlman
  28. Disc 2
  29. 1 Part III: Aus Rosenwolken (In rosy mantle appears) (Uriel) 03:55
    Track
    1
    Title
    Part III: Aus Rosenwolken (In rosy mantle appears) (Uriel)
    Duration
    03:55
    Composer
    Franz Joseph Haydn
    Performer
    Keith Jameson
    Ensemble
    Boston Baroque
    Conductor
    Martin Pearlman
  30. 2 Part III: Von deiner Gut', o Herr und Gott (By thee with bliss, O bounteous Lord) (Eve, Adam, Chorus) 09:06
    Track
    2
    Title
    Part III: Von deiner Gut', o Herr und Gott (By thee with bliss, O bounteous Lord) (Eve, Adam, Chorus)
    Duration
    09:06
    Composer
    Franz Joseph Haydn
    Performer
    Amanda Forsythe, Kevin Deas
    Ensemble
    Boston Baroque
    Conductor
    Martin Pearlman
  31. 3 Part III: Nun ist die erste Pflicht erfullt (Our duty we performed now) (Adam, Eve) 02:30
    Track
    3
    Title
    Part III: Nun ist die erste Pflicht erfullt (Our duty we performed now) (Adam, Eve)
    Duration
    02:30
    Composer
    Franz Joseph Haydn
    Performer
    Kevin Deas, Amanda Forsythe
    Ensemble
    Boston Baroque
    Conductor
    Martin Pearlman
  32. 4 Part III: Holde Gattin! (Graceful consort!) (Adam, Eve) 08:00
    Track
    4
    Title
    Part III: Holde Gattin! (Graceful consort!) (Adam, Eve)
    Duration
    08:00
    Composer
    Franz Joseph Haydn
    Performer
    Kevin Deas, Amanda Forsythe
    Ensemble
    Boston Baroque
    Conductor
    Martin Pearlman
  33. 5 Part III: O glucklich Paar (O happy pair) (Uriel) 00:21
    Track
    5
    Title
    Part III: O glucklich Paar (O happy pair) (Uriel)
    Duration
    00:21
    Composer
    Franz Joseph Haydn
    Performer
    Keith Jameson
    Ensemble
    Boston Baroque
    Conductor
    Martin Pearlman
  34. 6 Part III: Singt dem Herren alle Stimmen (Sing the Lord, ye voices all!) (Trio, Chorus) 03:31
    Track
    6
    Title
    Part III: Singt dem Herren alle Stimmen (Sing the Lord, ye voices all!) (Trio, Chorus)
    Duration
    03:31
    Composer
    Franz Joseph Haydn
    Performer
    Amanda Forsythe, Keith Jameson, Kevin Deas
    Ensemble
    Boston Baroque
    Conductor
    Martin Pearlman