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Franz Joseph HAYDN (1732-1809)
Great Choral Works
rec. 1981-1993
HÄNSSLER CLASSIC HC21054 [5 CDs + 1 DVD: 317 mins]

Last year, when I wrote my review of the Hänssler Classics box set of Handel’s sacred works (review), I lamented the poor quality of the documentation that accompanied the set. My comments appear to have fallen on deaf ears as the new Haydn Choral box set from them has even worse documentation issues than the Handel set did. Primarily, the producer did not do a thorough check of what they were actually including in the release. The booklet lists several soloists for the fifth CD who are actually nowhere to be found on the disc in question. This is because they did not actually contribute to the chosen tracks but to a complete recording of the Nelson Mass which was not chosen for inclusion here. One might think that something like this has the potential to lead to difficulties for the label. In addition there is a bonus DVD about which no technical information has been supplied. I was able to play it in Region 1 so it is definitely in the NTSC format. More info should have been listed.

For this set Hänssler have grouped together three major choral works of Haydn from their back catalogue of the many recordings made by the noted German choral conductor Helmuth Rilling. Rilling was the founder of The Oregon Bach Festival, and such musical ensembles as the Gächinger Kantorei and the Bach-Collegium Stuttgart, both of whom appear on these recordings. As filler, some works recorded by the lesser-known Frieder Bernius have also been included.

The first two discs contain Rilling’s 1993 Die Schöpfung. With Rilling this great work proceeds naturally with no hint of forcing the music to wring more drama out of it. He provides tempi that are very solicitous towards his singers. One could wish for a little more weight in some of the choral pieces but the lighter textures do fit with his overall concept. His approach presents the work with a more smiling aspect than one usually encounters. In this aspect Rilling comes closer than anyone else to Leonard Bernstein’s earlier recording of the work with the New York Philharmonic. New York’s was a far happier listening experience all-round than Bernstein’s later and better-known recording from Munich for DG. Rilling’s soloists are a fine team topped by Christiane Schäfer’s exquisitely shapely tones. She makes a lively Gabriel, molding the lines of her recitatives with grace. She provides a heavenly account of “Nun beut die flur” and manages to avoid sounding tweety in the process. Michael Schade is a sunny-sounding Uriel, as he was in the John Eliott Gardiner recording two years later. He is especially good at enunciating his text and producing his sound to evolve from the words, a rare achievement these days. His coloratura is perfectly executed, which makes me place him among the most successful portrayals of Uriel in the catalogue. Andreas Schmidt is a fine Rapaehel. His voice sounds warm and pleasing, yet he suffuses his music with sufficient gravitas for an ideal balance. He manages the awkward intervals of “Rollend in schäumenden” with ease. The choir and orchestra play splendidly and there is a decent sense of ambience to the recording.

Die Jahreszeiten does not find Rilling in as fine a form as he was for Die Schöpfung. Is it a case of him being less inspired by a secular subject rather than a spiritual one? One could easily come to that conclusion. Haydn’s music of the Seasons is illustrative of the ebb and flow of nature. It rises and falls as does the current of the air. Under Rilling’s direction I find much of it proceeds carefully, but in a mostly mundane fashion. He does achieve a few nice effects such as a sprightly “Komm holder Lenz” and a rousing account of the Hunting Chorus. On the distaff side, the long duet during the autumn section seems to drag on forever. Annegeer Stumphius’ light pulsating soprano acquits herself ably in all that is demanded of her. I find that she lacks an individuality of tone which would make her voice more memorable for the listener. This also affects Alexander Stevenson’s somewhat bland-sounding tenor. However, his tone is clear and never less than pleasant to the ear. Wolfgang Schöne emerges as the best soloist on this recording. He sings reliably with a warmly resonant tone. He is not ideally graceful in the occasional florid sections but he gets through them honourably enough. This is one case where the CDs come off as a better experience than does the accompanying DVD. The filming of the performance is dismal and claustrophobic most of the time which works against this most expansive of outdoor works in the cannon. There is also an annoying use of either gel lighting or post video editing to light the performers in shades appropriate to the season about which they are singing. Viewing it actually detracted from the occasional good impressions I received from the CD version.

The fifth disc brings the oratorio version of The Seven Last Words of Christ on the Cross. Maestro Rilling is definitely back on best form here and he leads a really good team of soloists. Sadly, this recording is let down by the cavernous reverb of the Speyer Cathedral. The engineers have not been able to alleviate this challenging acoustic which masks most of the musical details. The disc is rounded off by two shorter items as filler, which proved to be among the real highlights of the set. Both the Responsoria de Venerabili and the Ave Regina Coelorum are bright and fresh-sounding, led by the sure hand of the accomplished Frieder Bernius. The Württemberg ensemble is wonderfully responsive to his lead with a standout solo by Inga Nielsen in the Ave Regina. Nielsen was still in the coloratura phase of her career when this was recorded and her voice exhibits a glow that would lessen as she started heading into more dramatic roles a few years later. This is a superb example of her voice at its zenith. Hearing it makes me want to search out a copy of the Nelson Mass which accompanied these two works on its original release.
 
Mike Parr

Contents
Die Schöpfung , Hob XXI: 2 (1798) [106:21]
Christiane Schäfer (soprano), Michael Schade (tenor), Andreas Schmidt (bass-baritone)
Gächinger Kantorei, Bach-Collegium Stuttgart /Helmuth Rilling
rec. 27–30 September 1993, Große Saal, Stadthalle, Sindelfingen, Germany


Die Jahreszeiten, Hob XXI:3 (1801) [138:31]
Annegeer Stumphius (soprano); Alexander Stevenson (tenor); Wolfgang Schöne (bass)
Gächinger Kantorei, Bach-Collegium Stuttgart /Helmuth Rilling
rec. live, January 1992; Stadthalle, Oberhausen, Germany

Note: The bonus DVD of the above has no technical information supplied.
The original release on Arthaus 101173 indicates the following:
Region Code: 0; Picture Format: NTSC; Aspect ratio: 4:3; Audio Format: PCM 2.0

Die sieben letzten Worte unseres Erlösers am Kreuze, Hob.XX: 2 (1786)
Pamela Coburn (soprano); Ingeborg Danz (alto); Uwe Heilmann (tenor); Andreas Schmitdt (bass)
Gächinger Kantorei, Bach-Collegium Stuttgart /Helmuth Rilling
rec. 28 & 29 May 1991, Kaiserdom, Speyer, Germany

4 Responsoria de Venerabili, Hob. XXIIIc:4a-d (c 1768) [8:33]
Ave Regina coelorum in A major, Hob. XXIIIb:6 (c 1763) [10:50]
Inga Nielsen (soprano)
Kammerchor Stuttgart, Württembergisches Kammerorchester Heilbronn/ Frieder Bernius
rec. 1981 Stuttgart/Heilbronn