Haydn The Seasons

Overview

When Joseph Haydn completed his fourth and final oratorio at the beginning of 1801 the 69-year-old composer was famous throughout Europe. Born in 1732 as the son of a humble wheelwright, Haydn grew up in a rural, peasant environment. That such a child should make his way eventually to the position of court composer was an extremely rare occurrence. Even in his days at royal courts, however, Haydn still felt a close and intimate attachment to Nature and to life in the countryside. When Baron Gottfried van Swieten, then, presented to Hadyn a libretto on the theme of The Seasons, he found in the old composer a worthy partner in his own veneration for Nature.

Cast

Nikolaus Harnoncourt

Dirigent

N/A

J. Haydn

Komponist

Dorothea Röschmann

Sopran

N/A

Michael Schade

Tenor

N/A

Florian Boesch

Bass