Live on takt1: Haydn’s Seasons, Schloss Esterházy

08 AUG 2020: Haydn’s oratorio “The Seasons” live from a historic venue: The Haydn-Saal from Schloss Esterházy, where the maestro himself lived and worked.

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.

English title Haydn’s “The Seasons”
Original title Haydns “Die Jahreszeiten”
Recording location Haydn-Saal, Schloss Esterházy, Eisenstadt
Production year 2020
Recording date 08 August 2020
Genre Oratorio
Production Company takt1
Coproduction Company sone media
Producer Simeon Klein
Director Michael Ciniselli
Sound Engineer Georg Burdicek
Camera Samuel Straka
English title of music work The Seasons
Original title of music work Die Jahreszeiten
Original title of dance work Joseph Haydn
Orchestra / Band Barucco
Choir Ad Libitum
Conductor Heinz Ferlesch
Soloist Günther Groissböck
Soloist Daniela Fally
Soloist Andreas Schager