Erna Berger, Irmgard Seefried, Julius Patzak, Alexander Kipnis – what an exalted line-up! As it was for Fritz Busch’s performance of Haydn’s Die Schöpfung in 1934 (oratorio excerpts bookend the release).
This is a celebration of Fritz Busch (1890-1951) – fitting, perhaps, after our Glyndebourne coverage this year: Busch’s performances there began with a Mozart Le nozze di Figaro on May 28, 1934 with a cast that included Heddle Nash as Don Basilio (full details here).
The Haydn Creation excerpts have been available before, on Great Singers in Copenhagen. This performance is at the Odd Fellow Palæets store Sal (Hall), Copenhagen, 6 December 1934. Here’s the older release so you can get a flavour of “Auf starken Fichte” with Seefried, Busch’s Susanna in Vienna in October 1950, in superb form (so agile!) – but Andrew Rose’s transfer is preferable on this Pristine release:
Busch is brilliantly illustrative in Kipnis’ “Gleich öffnet sich”; the singer is maximally expressive (what a singer, whether in Haydn or Wagner!). The final excerpt is Patzak in “Mit Würd’ und Hoheit angetan,” Patzak’s voice is golden in the quieter moments – apity this exerpt isn’t longer!.
The Symphony No. 88 performance was released on Skandinavisk Grammophon A.B. (the Danish branch of HMV) , a studio recording performance ay Statsradiofonien, Koncertsalen, Copenhagen, on 4 & 6-7 November 1949. While the slow opening of the first movement is a little lumbering, there is no faulting the vivacity of the Allegro. But it is the loveliness of the Largo, melodies as Heaven-sent as any Mozart. The outbursts do remind us of the time and place of recording: rather lumbering. But the string cantabile is a miracle … and tehre is a nobility to the Menuet. The finale is full of vim, light as a feather in teh woodwinds, too.
There’s a plethora of historical Haydn 88’s to compare, contrast or just enjoy. Here’s an interesting one: the Chicago Symphony with Fritz Reiner, recorded in February 1960:
It is a delight to have the Sinfonia concertante in B flat, Hob.1:105 with soloists Waldemar Wolsing (oboe), Carl Bloch (bassoon), Leon Hansen (violin), Alberto Medici (cello), a Skandinavisk Grammophon A.B. studio recording performance taken down at Statsradiofonien, Koncertsalen, Copenhagen 26-27 January 1951.
In the absence of the Pristine pressing on YouTube, here’s another transfer, but do try to hear the Pristine – there is such detail available there:
(00:05) 1. Allegro (09:21) 2. Andante (14:19) 3. Finale: Allegro con spirito
The four soloists work so well together, and Haydn’s first movement just exudes life. The Andante has a sort of fragility that is compelling, the finale though is the clear highpoint, absolutely irrepressible.
Finally, excerpts rom Haydn’s The Seasons (Die Jahreszeiten), in rehearsal (there’s an “introduction” in German). Seefried again, now with Erik Sjöberg (tenor), Einar Nørby (baritone) with Radio-Koret. This is really a window into Busch in rehearsal – the choral passages do rather distort around forte, but the soloists work beautifully together.
As always, Pristine Classical provides a wonderful service. You can purchase this release in a variety of formats (this post was reviewed from the CD hard copy) here.
