Search - Herbert von Karajan :: Haydn: The Creation / Herbert von Karajan

Upbeat Choral Music

Ed Luhrs | Long Island, NY USA | 09/26/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I must admit an affinity toward Herbert von Karajan as a conductor, for despite the various iniquities attributed to his uncompromising personality, the guy was good. The brilliance of this recording probably has a little less to do with Karajan and a whole lot to do with the brilliance of the soloists. I've never heard Gundula Janowitz or Fritz Wunderlich before, so this recording is a revelation. The solo singing is absolutely brimming with youthful ardor. Every syllable is shaped with love. Add the BPO, a fine chorus, and Karajan, and you have a classic. I'm eager to hear some of the English language versions of this work. Haydn originally wanted to work with an English text derived from Milton & the Bible, but reverted to German because he was more comfortable with his own language. In English or German, I think "The Creation" certainly rivals Handel's "Messiah" in inspiration. I'm not one to go out of my way to listen to oratorios, but this music is exceptionally great. Haydn said he brimmed with joy every time he thought about God. Well, he sounds pretty happy here."

Wunderlich stars in this performance.

RENS | Dover, NH USA | 08/19/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I offer a slightly dissenting voice: I do not think that this performance is a 5-star winner. Yes, Wunderlich sings the arias exquisitely well. I find that Fisher-Dieskau has already become mannered in his singing. Yes, this is far better than Von Karajan's later digital version. No, this is not THE recording to have. At last not in my book (as a music historian and teacher). There are more than thirty complete recordings of "The Creation." Much good can be said of many, perhaps most of them. I recommend the following as the best of the lot:



John Eliot Gardiner's performance of the German version on "period" instruments -- superb in every regard, even if his soloists are lesser known.



Eugen Jochum's 1966 stereo recording with the Bavarian State Radio Orchestra and Chorus -- beautifully nuanced, deeply spiritual, and quite a bargain as a Philips Duo. Also the German version.



Rafael Kubelik's recording, also with the Bavarian musicians, on Orfeo. Warmth and clarity, strength and tenderness. Again the German version.



The original English version either by Christopher Hogwood or Robert Shaw, two very different yet equally effective performances.



Whichever version you choose, Haydn will lead you into the depths of Creation at every level of the word's meaning."

Let There Be Light

Florestan | Chicago, IL | 09/28/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Though one might think his voluminous output would preserve Haydn at the fore of the Classical era, it has proven to be something of a liability. Some find it difficult to distinguish one piece from the next among his 100+ symphonies, and double-digit contributions to the string quartet, piano trio, and piano sonata repertory. It is unfortunate, as he made outstanding contributions to each of these genres.



Happily, one form in which his reputation remains unsurpassed is the oratorio. The Creation demonstrates that Haydn was no slave to form. If it were otherwise, how could he go about composing a musical "representation of chaos?" Apart from being uniformly lovely, all the arias, ensembles, and choruses demonstrate Haydn's ability to wed music to text. Listeners non-versant in German would find no shortage of musical clues as to plot, whether it be the creation of light or the birds and the bees. Die Schöpfung can be a dramatically and musically gripping experience.



Herbert von Karajan overachieves in this recording against considerable odds. It took several years to record all the tracks, and required managing the death and limited availability of several of the principal singers. The Berlin Philharmonic plays to perfection, displaying the individual talents of its members (most notably woodwinds) in sections where the orchestration is lighter.



That said, the singers deserve the most credit for launching this record into immortality. Gundula Janowitz is, in my opinion, one of the most unjustly underrated sopranos of all time. Her voice is a marvelous instrument, and she uses it brilliantly on this recording. Her arias and recitatives are nothing short of arresting, but are delivered with such fluidity as to seem effortless. Fritz Wunderlich, whose untimely death occasioned most of the logistical challenges facing Karajan on this recording, managed to record the most significant of Uriel's arias and ensemble pieces. His majesterial contributions are consistent show-stoppers. While I find his replacement in the minor recitatives, Werner Krenn, merely adequate, there is no appreciable continuity problem. The other soloists, the alto-par-excellence Christa Ludwig, the venerable Walter Berry, and Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau round out this extraordinary cast.



This recording was remastered as part of DG's "The Originals" series, and admits of few limitations that might merit its rejection in favor of more recent entries.



This is a finely recorded, finely played, and finely sung account of a finely written masterpiece. It belongs on the shelf of any afficionado of classical music, no matter how modest his record collection. Buy it."