RECORDING OF THE MONTH
Joseph HAYDN (1732-1809)
The Creation (sung in German) (1798) [96:09]
Amanda Forsythe (soprano)
Keith Jameson (tenor)
Kevin Deas (bass-baritone)
Boston Baroque/Martin Pearlman
rec. Stereo, Surround, Mechanics Hall, Worcester, Massachusetts,
October 2011
LINN CKD401 SACD [69:22 + 27:21]
This delicious new recording of The Creation is a real treat.
It comes from the most famous of the New World’s period ensembles, led
by their irrepressible music director, Martin Pearlman. Together they have
forged a reputation for excitement and vigour in the baroque and classical
repertoire, and they bring something to this music that few others do.
The first joy of the set is the playing of the orchestra, clipped,
precise and vigorous. Working in conjunction with Linn’s outstanding
recorded sound they continually reawaken the ear to the many joys in
Haydn’s score, and not just in the overtly descriptive passages of the
second part. The balance is outstanding so that the strings come forward but
are well matched with the winds who are clear and crisp. The trumpets and
timpani are rounded and golden with enough sheen to make them exciting but
not enough prominence to drown out the rest of the orchestra. Their
contribution to the big choruses, such as that at the beginning of the third
part, is thrilling. At the key moment of the creation of light, the sound is
bright, clear and forward but never overwhelming and you can hear every
aspect of the instrumentation. It should always be a thrilling moment, but
I’ve seldom heard it work as well as here.
Pearlman’s direction keeps the whole thing going with vigour
and bounce. He has opted for the German edition of the text (full texts with
English translations are provided) because, he writes, it fits the music
better and avoids some of the more awkward phrases that turn up in the
English translation. The only loss this brings is in immediacy of
understanding, minimised if you follow the text in the booklet. On the other
hand, it brings many advances in clarity of diction, and on balance
he’s probably right that the notes fit the German language more
comfortably. In the booklet note he writes that Haydn’s many different
performance practices give the modern interpreter plenty of scope for
realising the work today. He chooses a fairly substantial size of chorus and
orchestra, giving the work bite and heft and allowing the majesty of much of
Haydn’s writing to survive the period treatment. As such, he serves as
a happy medium between the big, old-fashioned style of Karajan’s 1964
DG recording - still a treat for lovers of lushness with the chorus of the
Vienna Singverein, the playing of the Berlin Philharmonic and an incredible
line-up of soloists - and the more austere minimalist interpretations that
come out of some wings of the period instrument brigade. This makes this
recording a good one with which to introduce The Creation to someone
for the first time, as well as an admirable reference point against which to
compare some of the others.
This is not to damn with faint praise, though, as the singing is
just as good as the playing. The chorus sound rich and exuberant, and they
bring a real touch of class to the big moments, making almost every word
clear and comprehensible. Their scale (25 singers) also means that the
listener won’t feel cheated out of splendour. On balance, you will get
all the benefits of a period performance without the loss of grandeur. The
soloists are also very good. Kevin Deas is the anchor of the set, narrating
the unfolding scene with authority and depth. The highlight of his
performance is a rousing rendition of Nun scheint in vollem Glanze der
Himmel, thrillingly sung with resplendent brass and timpani to give it
extra sheen. Amanda Forsythe is, if anything, even finer, crowning the solo
trio with her glorious soprano, light, bright and radiant - just right for
an archangel! She is also the finest of the three in providing the
ornamentations that Pearlman encourages, delicate and subtle in the da
capo, never intrusive or attention-grabbing. She is at her finest in her
“eagle” aria, “Auf starkem Fittiche”: listen to the
delectable trills which accompany the tender cooing of the dove. Next to
these two Kevin Deas has a tendency to sound weedy and lightweight at times,
but even he finds something extra for his brief but important recitatives in
the third part.
It’s two thumbs up for this release, then, something that
would provide an excellent introduction to The Creation for newcomers
but will also contain plenty to delight old hands; in short, another feather
in the cap of Pearlman and Boston Baroque.
Simon Thompson
Another feather in the cap of Pearlman and Boston Baroque.