DIE SCHÖPFUNG • THE CREATION

Joseph Haydn
DIE SCHÖPFUNG • THE CREATION
Alte Universität Wien, 1982

Soloists: Arleen Auger (soprano), Peter Schreier (tenor), Gabriele Sima (soprano)
Orchestra, Chorus: Collegium Aureum, Arnold Schoenberg Chor
Conductor: Gustav Kuhn
DVD Specials: Documentary on the work and the occasion

This March 1982 performance of The Creation took place in the Great Hall of the Old University in Vienna - precisely where, on 27 March 1808, the composer had appeared for the last time in public to attend a gala performance of this work under the direction of Antonio Salieri. The concert brought together a number of leading artists: the Collegium Aureum is a loose association of German and Austrian soloists and chamber musicians internationally renowned for their performances on period instruments, while the Arnold Schoenberg Choir continues to be regarded as one of the finest choirs in Europe. The parts of Gabriel, Uriel and Raphael are taken by three of the most eminent and supremely well-qualified singers of their day, soprano Arleen Augér, tenor Peter Schreier and bass Walter Berry, while the German baritone Roland Hermann and the Austrian soprano Gabriele Sima are sheer luxury casting in the roles of Adam and Eve. With his lively temperament, the Austrian conductor Gustav Kuhn ensures that the performance is not only true to the spirit of the original but has a tension and a vitality all of its own, guaranteeing that the performance was an overwhelming experience for all who were present on this occasion. Spirit, sound, space and time come together here to create a coherent whole.

"Man kann dem ORF und Arthaus Musik nur danken, dass sie dieses bedeutende Konzertereignis an historischer Stätte jetzt dem modernen Medium DVD zugänglich gemacht haben." Johannes Kösegi, kinofilmer.de/ kinofilmer.de, 10.02.2011

"Schlank und treffsicher bis in die Spitzentöne singt Auger die Partie des Gabriel, Schreier glänzt durch gefühlvoll ausphrasierte melodische Bögen als Uriel, und Berry verleiht dem Raphael ausdrucksstarkes, sonores Volumen. Auch Gabriele Sima und Roland Herrmann geben im dritten Teil als Adam und Eva ein überzeugendes Paar ab." Thomas Gehrig, klassik.com, 17.04.2011

"Neu bei Arthaus gibt es zwei historisch bedeutsame Konzerte, deren Erleben unzweifelhaft lohnend ist. Das sind die Aufführung von Haydns Schöpfung in Wien 1982 […] und die berühmte Berliner Winterreise […] von 1979." Gerhard Eckels, Orpheus, Juli/August 2011