Haydn: Die Schopfung / Jacobs

Julia Kleirer, soprano; Maximillian Schmitt, tenor; Johannes Weisser, bass; RIAS Kammerchor, Hans-Christoph Rademann, Freiburger Barockorchester, conducted by Rene Jacobs

Joseph Haydn: Die Schopfung / The creation

Gramophone Editor's Choice - November 2009
Limited first print with bonus DVD
Again, Rene Jacobs has proven he is the top conductor of large-scale choral works and oratorios. Jacobs has proven his mettled with pinnacle recordings of Bach's 'Christmas Oratorio', Handel's 'Messiah', and Haydn 'The Seasons'. To this solid foundation, he has added a new recording; Haydn's 'Die Schopfung' (The Creation). Sung in German, this disc features Soprano Julia Kleiter, Tenor Maximillian Schmitt, Bass Johannes Weisser, and the RIAS Kammerchor. Jacobs is joined by his Freiburger Barockorchester. The singers and orchestra are world class in this performance. The sound quality is excellent. This two CD set is accompanied by extensive liner notes, and also a twenty minute DVD of the making of this recording, and interviews with the performers and Jacobs about the work and of Haydn himself. For what is included, this a bargain price for such a beautifully packaged set!
‘There is the book; begin at the beginning.’ If one believes an anecdote from the early 1790s, it was with the account of the Creation that Haydn, in the autumn of his years, hoped to perpetuate his fame for posterity. Yet he was already the most celebrated composer in Europe, and the work’s first public performance in 1799 was such a triumph that it was immediately repeated twice. Five years after a much acclaimed version of The Seasons, René Jacobs chooses this ‘beginning’ to make his major contribution on record to the celebration of the bicentenary of Haydn’s death. Once again, René Jacobs revisits this cornerstone work. To our delight, he brings into the light a brilliant and young cast, and treats us with a colourful, vibrant creation!