Joseph Haydn's "The Seasons"

Schloss Esterházy is world famous for the musical ambition of its noble family: in 1761, Joseph Haydn arrived here, leading the court orchestra for almost thirty years. He noted: "I was cut off from the world, nobody around me could lead me astray or torment me, and so I had to be original." In service of the Esterházys, he was able to experiment with new musical forms and structures, and develop as a composer. Of course, the profane oratorio "The Seasons" stems from his later period, after he had already composed more than a hundred symphonies and made two journeys to London, and after the age of the oratorio had dawned. As part of a dream team together with Gottfried van Swieten, Haydn wrote this oratorio in 1801 after the huge success of "The Creation". It's a work whose descriptions of nature clearly attest to the influence of Jean-Jacques Rousseau. It's a work about the cycle of the years and the individual days. The three soloists represent the peasantry, sung here by a first rate cast: Daniela Fally, Andreas Schager and Günther Groissböck. It's a first for both Schager and Groissböck. The period instrument ensemble Barucco lead the way through spring, summer, fall and winter, on stage at Haydn's former home. Conductor: Heinz Ferlesch.