Haydn Die Schöpfung

This album is a superb recording of Haydn's oratorio The Creation conducted by Antal Dorati and featuring the incredible voices of bass Kurt Moll and soprano Lucia Popp. There is another recording I like, an obscure recording with Roland Bader conducting the Cracow National Philharmonic and the voices of soprano Teresa Seidl, tenor Christian Elsner and baritone Michael Volle. This recording is the best and the singers are divine and it's too bad it's not really well known or circulated. But this recording is dynamic and powerful and beautiful. It would be my second choice of favorite.

This is perhaps the best recording of THE CREATION in the catalogue. Hengelbrock's conducting of a fine period-instrument orchestra is the most exciting since Bernstein's '60s recording; nothing is dainty or underplayed. The burst of light is truly thrilling, and all the descriptive passages are played for all they're worth (listen to the great bronx cheer from the brass at "Den boden druckt der thiere last"). The chorus is very good, if not quite in the class of Gardiner's Monteverdi Choir; but whereas Gardiner's recording had some casting weaknesses, here all the youngish soloists do good work, particularly the Uriel, Steve Davislim. The sound is mostly excellent, though once or twice the engineers seem to have trouble coping with choral climaxes (no distortion, though).

This recording of one of Haydn’s greatest masterpieces is not to be missed. Those who are familiar with Colin Davis’s recordings of the Haydn London Symphonies, made over 30 years ago with the Concertgebouw Orchestra, will know that he has a special affection for this composer’s music and unfailingly communicates his love of it to both performers and listeners alike. Surprisingly this would appear to be the first time that he has recorded Haydn’s Creation, but it has been worth the wait.

Haydn’s Creation, the culmination of his life’s work, in a legendary 1986 performance conducted by Leonard Bernstein in the exquisite Baroque splendor of the Benedictine Abbey of Ottobeuren, Bavaria, now available on DVD for the first time. This spectacular performance also includes Bernstein’s spoken introduction to the performance —always an invaluable addition to any concert.

Joseph Haydn - Die Schöpfung / The Creation
Fritz Wunderlich / Hermann Prey / Wiener Singverein / Wiener Philharmoniker / Herbert von Karajan
2xCD | EAC+LOG+CUE | FLAC: 278 MB | Full Artwork: 164 MB | 5% Recovery Info
Label/Cat#: Deutsche Grammophon "Festspiel Dokumente" # 474 955-2 GM2 | Country/Year: Germany 2004, 1965
Genre: Classical | Style: Classical Period, Oratorio, Sacred, Vocal

"Karajan's direction is exactly as in the studio: majestic, broadly paced without being inert, vast in dynamic range, always considerate to his soloists, unerring in its preparation and clinching of climaxes." ~BBC Music Magazine

Herbert von Karajan was an Austrian conductor. He was principal conductor of the Berlin Philharmonic for 34 years. During the Nazi era, he debuted at the Salzburg Festival, with the Vienna Philharmonic, the Berlin Philharmonic, and during World War II he conducted at the Berlin State Opera. Generally regarded as one of the greatest conductors of the 20th century, he was a controversial but dominant figure in European classical music from the mid-1950s until his death. Part of the reason for this was the large number of recordings he made and their prominence during his lifetime. By one estimate, he was the top-selling classical music recording artist of all time, having sold an estimated 200 million records.