Wunderlich declaiming man as the crowning point of all creation is one of the great thrills in all of recorded music. There has never been a better "Schopfung". It is a "Reference" indeed!
A cast that can't be bettered and Karajan drives it forward with real clarity. The best The Heavens are telling ever! Great syncopation from the strings. It never gets boring.
A most significant work, and one very close to my heart. Of course for the Anglophone record buyer there is room for a Reference Recording of Haydn's Creation in English. In that case, I suspect that Hogwood on Decca would make a reasonable candidate, but as it goes my favourite is in German, but would never be a reference in the sense that it was too old, recorded in mono, on Vanguard. Mogens Woldike and the forces of the Vienna State Opera. It is utterly grand and powerful, and terribly well done, and the chorus and soloists are superb, while the orchestra is fascinatingly good with forward winds and beautiful balances. This piece was what I played at my last professional concert playing the bass, with the Birmingham Festival Chorus in the Adrian Boult Hall in Birmingham. I was given the honour of playing the bass part in "Great Whales" as a solo bassist in spite of not leading the section! The section leader liked my playing and timbre, and he turned the pages! That was in November 1999. Best wishes from George in Herefordshire.
I'm so glad that Karajan interpretation of Creation from Haydn is so relevant. This was my first Creation, and I love it very much. Even try to convince a friend of mine, an opera singer, that he underestimates Haydn. Also, love Hogwood. And Dorati.
Thank you for this. I have the Hogwood recording as I had to study the Creation as part of my university studies into European Humanities and always thought it was superb, However, after watching your video, I managed to get a copy of the Karajan BPO recording and agree it's truly brilliant. It brings this music to life with a certain punch that is both thrilling and inspirational.
tremendous tremendous recording. deserving of reference recording status for sure; very hard to beat. If I had to give a vote for second place, it’s definitely to the Christopher Hogwood recording with Emma Kirkby & Anthony Rolfe Johnson. The use of period instruments is also a nice touch.
My first Creation was, surprisingly enough, Doráti's. For some reason it was available in the Hungarian shop in Prague even in the communist time... I believe it was quite good, too...
Seeing this video was up, I pulled out the recording, which I have not heard in years. Karajan at his peak, consistently excellent soloists and chorus, and the recorded sound vastly better than his remake. A classic.
I would love to see a video on the Nelson Mass. My guess is that Pinnock is the reference, but I would be curious to know your impressions of earlier recordings-e.g., the Willcocks from '62, Ferencsik on DG in (I think?) '67, Bernstein.
It seems any recording that included Fritz Wunderlich automatically had a leg up for becoming the reference recording. I know that's a wild overstatement, so don't bother correcting me. 😆 Which raises my question: Bohm's recording of Wozzeck on DGG: reference?
My favorite recording of Smetana's Bartered Bride, if not a reference, is Wunderlich's on EMI even if it is a "Verkaufte Braut" and not a "Prodana Nevesta."
@@francescofurlan3098 No question that Szell was a great Haydn interpreter. He was one of those rare conductors who understood the difference between Haydn and Mozart and did both superbly.
Why do you keep repeating this bizarre claim that Karajan didn't like choruses? True, his choral repertoire wasn't huge, but when it comes to his 4 signature choral works - Mozart, Verdi & Brahms requiems and the Missa Solemnis he kept doing them over and over again both in studio and live throughout his entire career (and the list of choral works he's done at least once in studio is not inconsiderable either). It would be a pretty strange thing to do for someone who hated the chorus, don't you think?
@DavesClassicalGuide I don't think "the evidence is plainly audible..." is a particularly valid response, because if someone disagrees, that in itself suggests that "the evidence" is merely subjectively "audible". I think a little more precision is required than a retort that amounts to little more than 'use your ears and you'll see I'm right.'
I'm very fond of the Colin Davis one in English. We're it not for the fact that he makes too many cuts, I'd also say the Beecham. But not as a reference. I'm not sure it has one. On period instruments, the Rene Jacobs set is a stunner.
I am always disappointed by Karajan in Mozart, except in the operas--including his late Giovanni where his conducting seems dramatic and responsive. Maybe he was in operatic rather than religious mode for this. It has a lot of the same punch.
