Haydn: The Creation
Yeree Suh (soprano), Tilman Lichdi (tenor), Matthias Winckhler (baritone)
La Capella Reial de Catalunya
Jordi Savall / Le Concert des Nations (Alia Vox)
(scroll down for English review)
薩巴爾去年聖誕推出了巴哈《聖誕神劇》，今年聖誕就推出海頓《創世記》，是今年五月的錄音。雖說是合唱曲目，但這個錄音正好為薩巴爾下月推出，貝多芬交響曲全集的下集做了個好預告，因為這裏的管弦樂實在出色。此外，合唱也是一貫優秀，應付第一及第二部分的賦格段落，都有力和管弦樂拼出火花，且看薩巴爾會不會也像雅各斯般，日後演奏及灌錄貝多芬《莊嚴彌撒曲》。
但獨唱我就有很大保留，可能要視乎你當此曲做聖樂還是歌劇來聽。你會問：這不就是神劇嗎？但海頓在獨唱部分，明顯受到莫扎特《魔笛》的影響，第二部分的亞當夏娃二重唱就很易聽到。我覺得三位獨唱太注重於音色的純淨，但就令人物缺乏血肉，這點應該也是要由指揮負責。
Jordi Savall brought out a recording of Bach’s Christmas Oratorio for Christmas 2020 and now he pulled out Haydn’s Creation for this year’s (2021) Christmas. Although this is a choral work but this recording served as a precursor of Savall’s coming release of the final volume of his Beethoven symphony cycle. The orchestra sounded boisterous and the chorus had the power to rivet the orchestra in the fugal sections of Part 1 and 2. It wouldn’t be a surprise if Savall followed up on his Beethoven with Missa Solemnis.
But I have reservations towards the soloists. It sort of depends on how one approaches this piece: sacred or profane? Sure this is an oratorio about the Creation but Haydn was obviously influenced by Mozart’s Magic Flute, especially in the Adam and Eve duets in Part 3. I think the soloists paid too much attention on tonal purity and deprived the characters of blood and flesh. Surely the conductor is to be responsible for that.