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Author Topic: Haydn: The Creation, No. 28 Vollendet ist das große Werk  (Read 1130 times)

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Offline Neil Obstat

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    Joseph Haydn, The Creation No. 28. Vollendet ist das große Werk
    (His Creation is considered his greatest masterpiece and this number (28 ) is the completion of the great work of God's creation.)
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    Vollendet ist das grosse Werk,
    Der Schöpfer sieht's und freuet sich.
    Auch unsre Freund' erschalle laut,
    Des Herren Lob sei unser Lied!

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    Alles lobe seinen Namen,
     denn er allein
     ist hoch erhaben

    (The great work is complete /or/ Fulfilled at last the great work) - English translation seems mixed up, prob., to match melody.

    Fulfilled at last the glorious work;
    the Maker (Creator) sees with sure delight.
    Let all our joy resound aloud;
    eternal praise to him accord.

    Fulfilled at last the glorious work,
    Eternal praise to Him accord.
    For He alone doth reign exalted. Alleluia.
    Glorious be His name forever. Alleluia.

    (Alternate: Let all praise his name, for he alone is sublime)
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    Offline Neil Obstat

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    Re: Haydn: The Creation, No. 28 Vollendet ist das große Werk
    « Reply #1 on: June 24, 2018, 03:12:28 AM »
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    The OP above, movement No. 28, is an excerpt from the full Oratorio, The Creation / Die Schöpfung, omitting the interlude with the 3 soloists (which is really No. 27 of the Oratorio). The tempo they use is quite a bit slower than usual. Perhaps they are trying to be careful with hitting all the notes because the orchestra and choir is not quite able to handle the difficulty that a faster tempo entails. (Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra & Chorus, Conductor:  Eugen Jochum)
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    In any event, listening to the OP (above) you can become familiar with all the complicated runs of fast notes that the orchestra and the chorus has to deal with. It might sound a little laborious (because it's a bit slow) but it is actually a better tempo for LEARNING your part if you want to sing along or play your instrument while listening. Then, after you have got it "down" you can step up to playing or singing along with the faster tempo, below.
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    Some renditions of The Creation do not include the portions with soloists, such that those parts are skipped, making the whole duration much shorter. (If you don't have 3 soloists then you can't do those parts unless you have your whole choir sing their parts, and I don't know if anyone has done The Creation that way. The OP is an example of only one number, one that has no soloists' parts. There are 34 movements in this entire Oratorio by Haydn.)
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    Here is a complete version with 3 soloists, choir and orchestra. The venue is the Haydn Hall at Esterházy Palace in Eisenstadt, Austria; On the occasion of the 200th anniversary of the death of Joseph Haydn in 2009.
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    Austro-Hungarian Haydn Philharmonic Orchestra
    Wiener Kammerchor
    Michael Grohotolsky - chorus master
    Adam Fischer - conductor

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    The tempo is considerably faster here than in the OP version. To see what I mean, skip to minute 1:06:03 and play to 1:07:17 (Number 26, thematic precursor to the OP movement Number 28 ); then pause and skip past the soloists' part (Number 27 of the Oratorio), restarting at 1:12:12 (No. 28, the place where the OP begins) and continue to 1:14:40, duration = 2:28, a whole minute faster (compared to 3:29 in the OP). Number 28 is the last movement of Part II. Part III begins at 1:14:58, with no applause between parts. (Some people tried to clap after Part I but nobody tried after Part II, and it's a little strange to see that the conductor appears HAPPY that no one is applauding! Very strange! But that's typical of these classical performances.)
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    Notice the bass-baritone soloist, Thomas Quasthoff. He has a tremendous voice. Ironically, he has practically no arms and his legs are deformed. He manages to turn the pages of his music with three fingers on each hand, but this disability has utterly no effect on his singing, and he's one of the world's top soloists. Fascinating! This was recorded 9 years ago, and since then Quashoff has begun to retire but he is still in great demand so he has to turn down engagements quite often. He has been doing more secular or popular music in recent years, apparently trying to make great singing more accessible to the younger generation, among whom popular singers are generally uncultured and ignorant of the treasury we have of artistry in vocal music.
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    I knew a great guitarist, Laurindo Almeida, who had a desire to do that as well, but did not engage in any deliberate plan to reach young people in his last years. Then he died, without having made recordings of popular songs, and with him went all that latent desire and vast experience that a lifetime in musical performance provides. When a musician (performer) dies, all that's left of his life's work are his (or her) recordings.
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