After his years in London and the discovery of Handel’s Messiah, which had profoundly moved him, Joseph Haydn embarked on writing a large-scale religious work. For this very devout composer, this veritable act of faith would torment him for two years and from it would come an oratorio of penetrating intensity. After enjoying immediate success in Vienna, Die Schöpfung (The Creation) conquered the whole of Europe in less than a year.

It would be a sad day if Haydn and Mozart symphonies were only to be heard on period instruments, but with Sir Georg Solti and Sir Colin Davis jointly perpetuating the tradition of Haydn performances which Beecham created in the 78rpm era, with its combination of elegance and warm humanity, we need have no fears on this score.

Recorded between 2009 and 2021, this mammoth project has consistently drawn the highest critical acclaim: ‘A project that began in 2010 is completed; what a journey it has been. Bavouzet’s gifts of insightful exposition and revelation are matched by the wisdom of his curation… A triumph’ -The Sunday Times ‘A recording worth rushing to the shops for. Bavouzet plays these inventive masterpieces with real love’ -Classic FM

After Haydn composed The Seven Last Words for chamber orchestra as a devotional accompaniment to the Good Friday liturgy at Cadiz Cathedral in 1786, several other arrangements were made during his lifetime, by himself and others, all of them familiar to us now: as an oratorio with soloists and chorus, and in string quartet and solo keyboard transcriptions.

This warmly recorded, naturally balanced disc is delightful. The Minetti Quartet offers three late Haydn masterpieces, played with plenty of high spirits and, in the slow movements, a fresh songfulness (both Opp. 64's and 76's are marked "cantabile") that's most affecting. There's practically nothing to criticize here. Highlights include the really zippy final prestos of Opp. 64 and 76, and the intense Largo assai of the "Rider" quartet. In the finale of the latter, the group's articulation is a touch clipped in the main theme, and as a result the music doesn't quite speak as it should, but better too much energy than too little. The minuet (really a scherzo) of Op. 76 also is terrific, smooth as silk until Haydn's disruptive syncopation sets in. If you're looking for a very attractive single-disc collection of late Haydn quartets, I can recommend this without hesitation. Playing time is a bit short–under an hour–so there was still room for another full quartet, but if this doesn't concern you terribly, then go for it.

2 CDs mit Leonard Bernsteins herausragenden Interpretationen der Haydn-Sinfonien mit dem New York Philharmonic Orchestra. Als erster US-Amerikaner war Leonard Bernstein von 1958-1969 Musikdirektor des New York Philhamonic Orchestra. In seinem Wirken als Dirigent fand er weltweit große Beachtung mit einem Repertoire, das von der Klassik bis zur Avantgarde reichte.

For the 200th anniversary of the birth of Frédéric Chopin, the renowned Ruhr Piano Festival in Essen invited the Staatskapelle Berlin to give a truly special program: the rare combination of Chopin‘s two piano concertos in one concert. For this purpose Daniel Barenboim, the orchestra‘s principal conductor, handed over the reins of „his“ ensemble to up-and-coming young conductor Andris Nelsons, assuming the role of piano soloist instead. The press raved: „Storms of applause for a dream couple: Daniel Barenboim and Andris Nelsons won over the audience […] with their rousing Chopin interpretations“.

“…this live 2006 performance… is given in its original orchestral form in the location for which it was intended - the chapel of Santa Cueva in Cádiz… Played on period instruments the performance… expertly motivated by Jordi Savall, achieving a fine blend of solemnity and austerity with intimacy of feeling. …this is the ultimate in authentic performance.” (BBC Music Magazine)

The scoring of Haydn’s Concertinos for keyboard and an accompaniment of two violins and a cello makes these early works available for performance either as chamber music in a domestic environment or with a string orchestra in the concert hall. They were written either shortly before or during Haydn’s first years in the service of the Esterházy family at Eisenstadt, and make relatively modest technical demands on the soloist, who retains prominence throughout. They are played here on a 19th century fortepiano, accompanied by three string players.

The second part of the 18th century saw increasing popularity for the trio for keyboard and two melody instruments. Joseph Haydn contributed considerably to the development of this genre with his trios for keyboard, violin and cello. Whereas in his early trios the violin has a relatively important part to play – Haydn usually played that part himself - gradually the keyboard became the dominating instrument, reducing the violin and cello to merely accompanying roles.

In seinem ‚Entwurf-Katalog’ verzeichnete Joseph Haydn ab 1765 sieben Orgelkonzerte. Sein eigener Organistendienst beim Fürsten Esterházy, den er an der Eisenstädter Schlosskirche versah, bot ihm die Möglichkeit, Orgelkonzerte aufzuführen. Gleichwohl blieben seine Orgelkonzerte Nischenrepertoire, denn die Symphonie war mehr und mehr auf dem Vormarsch und Haydn selbst hat bekanntlich ungleich mehr Symphonien als Orgelkonzerte komponiert. In seinem Katalog findet sich zudem auch die Bezeichnung ‚Cembalo’, was die Aufführung dieser Konzerte im weltlichen Rahmen außerhalb der Kirche möglich machte. Renommierte Organist Norbert Düchtel an der Johann-Philipp-Seuffert-Orgel aus dem Jahr 1756 in der Wallfahrtskirche Maria Limbach den Orgelkonzerten Joseph Haydns gewidmet. Das L’arpa festante Barockorchester München stellt den soliden Orchesterapparat.

When Nature took on new meaning. The transition from Winckelmann to Rousseau marked one of the biggest upheavals of thought in the Enlightenment - and it is perfectly illustrated in these four Seasons with their decidedly Romantic 'descriptivism'! In this music, even though lambs frisk, fish teem and thunder booms, it is the question of Man within Nature that is the central issue. By going back to the very first version of The Seasons (with the orchestral introductions played in their entirety), René Jacobs enables us to relive that day in April 1801 that saw the triumph of old 'Papa' Haydn.

The Concilium musicum Vienna, which plays on authentic period instruments, was founded by Paul and Christoph Angerer in 1982 and has since elaborated an extensive musical spectrum from the music of the Baroque period to the dance music of the 19th century.

Impressed by the Handel works that he heard in London, Haydn felt the need to compose oratorios. First came Die Schöpfung (‘The Creation’), which met with resounding success; then Baron Gottfried van Swieten proposed to Haydn an arrangement of James Thomson’s poem ‘The Seasons’. Initially, Haydn was little attracted by the text, which deviates from the classic oratorio based on a religious text, but subsequently let himself be convinced. The result, for three soloists, chorus and orchestra, is a vast pictorial fresco of Nature that describes landscapes and the feelings that they arouse. For the first time, Philippe Herreweghe gives us his own vision of an oratorium by Haydn.