Haydn The Seasons 2016
In June, Gabrieli performed and recorded Haydn’s The Seasons in London and Wroclaw, with a broadcast on BBC Radio Three and a studio recording in Wroclaw’s magnificent new concert hall, the National Forum of Music. As with previous large-scale oratorio recordings, we convened an ensemble of Anglo-Polish forces, led by soloists Carolyn Sampson, Jeremy Ovenden and Andrew Foster Williams. Nearly 100 musicians from Gabrieli and Wroclaw Baroque Orchestra squeezed on to the stage of St John’s Smith Square, on one of the hottest evenings of the year so far, for an evening of gorgeous music and committed performance… accompanied by rather too many popping pegs and snapping strings, thanks to the humidity! Once in the rather roomier environs of Wroclaw’s National Forum of Music we were joined by yet more musicians from Wroclaw Baroque Orchestra and the National Forum of Music Choir, with whom we have collaborated so often in the past.
Read the reviews and remember some great performances – the recording will be released in April 2017.
“…the burly energy of the orchestra and choir, the purling prettiness of the fortepiano, and the sheer elegance of the soprano Carolyn Sampson, the tenor Jeremy Ovenden and the bass Andrew Foster-Williams made this infectiously enjoyable… ”Anna Picard, The Times
“…the performance was masterly, and wrung every nuance out of the writing … Not only were the orchestra on top form, but so were the singers. The text was a new English version by McCreesh himself, and it was absolutely spot-on in terms of 18th-century ‘feel’. The choir was the usual excellent Gabrieli group, and their attack was perfect every time, providing a solid tone even above the orchestra at top volume in the storm scene, and raising excitement levels in “Hark, hear the sounds of the chase” … A recording to be keenly anticipated!”Barry Creasy, Musicomh.com
“…if the storms are visceral, so is the hunting chase of ‘Autumn’, with its raucous horns, properly played with full abandon on this occasion by the Gabrieli section. ‘Winter’ holds desolate, still scoring of remarkable daring, and McCreesh was alert to every ounce of drama here. … The Gabrieli Choir was on top form, caressing in the gently rolling “Come, gentle Spring!”, ringingly clear and ardent in “Wonderful, bountiful, infinite God” and relishing every ounce of counterpoint Haydn writes … This was a magnificent evening…”Colin Clarke, Seen and Heard International
“…Paul McCreesh plucks out the pearls of vivid musical imagery perfectly and gives them intense colour. We expect the most satisfying of recordings, musically…”www.wroclaw.pl
“…A beautiful concert at the National Forum of Music offered the audience musical and emotional enjoyment and a fitting crown to this year’s artistic season…”www.kulturaonline.pl