Search - Haydn, Ruth Ziesak, Sir Georg Solti :: Die Jahreszeiten: The Seasons - Les Saisons

An Exhilarating Account of Haydn's *Seasons*

Johannes Climacus | Beverly, Massachusetts | 10/15/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Some conductors are posthumously rehabilitated; others sink into unjustified obscurity. Which fate does Sir Georg Solti deserve? Though one can argue that he was over-rated during his lifetime (were all those Grammys really deserved? Probably not), he is in danger of being underrated, or simply forgotten today. The fact that his superb recordings of Haydn's two best-known oratorios have both sunk without a trace is not encouraging--either for admirers of the conductor or as an indication of where the recording industry is headed.



In any case if you haven't discovered Solti's virtues as a Haydn interpreter, here's your opportunity. His rendition of *Die Jahrezeiten* is unquestionably one of the few unqualifiedly successful recordings of this sprawling work. Haydn wrote it at the very end of his creative life, and the effort clearly exhausted him. Few performances, in my experience, have been able to conceal its seams or sustain interest through what can seem dull patches, particularly in Autumn and Winter. Solti's version, taken from live performances, belies any impression that the work outstays its welcome. From the first measure to the last, this proves to be an exhilarating account of Haydn's final masterpiece.



Solti paces the work to perfection; the fast numbers never sound harried, and the slow ones flow freely. He has an outstanding trio of soloists (Rene Pape especially) at his disposal and can rely on the crisp diction, firm tone and impeccable ensemble of a first-rate chorus. The Chicago Symphony play throughout with collective gusto and (in the wind solos particularly) formidable individual virtuosity. The recording's vivacity matches the vitality of the performance.



Truly a splendid set, rivaling any and surpassing most. Beecham conveys an inimitable charm in this work, but neither his soloists nor his chorus can match Solti's. Karajan gives an overwhelmingly dramatic account of certain numbers (the Introduction to "Spring", the Hunting chorus, and the Bacchanal that concludes Part III), while other sections tend to hang fire. Böhm is probably the closest competitor to Solti, and if the former's approach is ultimately remains more humane, the latter's is more enlivening overall. Gardiner and Jacobs are, of course, superb in the "early music" category, and I would not hesitate to endorse either or both if your taste inclines in the direction of period performance practice.



But in the end I would advocate Solti's cause, if only to encourage potential listeners to reconsider a remarkable musician whose reputation may have unjustifiably suffered decline since his death in 1997. Whatever one thinks of Solti's approach to other composers, he was (along with Szell and Bernstein in particular) a tremendous interpreter of Haydn."