Emma Kirkby; Tim Mead; Festivalchor Musica Franconia
Release Date: 06 May 2022
Label: Christophorus
Packaging Type: Brilliant Case (Jewel Case size, Holds 2 CDs)
No of Units: 2
Barcode: 4010072022523
Description
More than 60 years before Joseph Haydn, the German-born John Christopher Smith wrote an oratorio on the seasons, also based on the verse epic "The Seasons" by the Scottish poet James Thomson.
Smith was born Johann Christoph Schmidt in Ansbach in 1712 and emigrated to London with his parents, for his father worked as a steward and copyist for George Frideric Handel.
More than 60 years before Joseph Haydn, the German-born John Christopher Smith wrote an oratorio on the seasons, also based on the verse epic "The Seasons" by the Scottish poet James Thomson.
Smith was born Johann Christoph Schmidt in Ansbach in 1712 and emigrated to London with his parents, for his father worked as a steward and copyist for George Frideric Handel.
But Smith was also a respected composer in his own right, "held in high esteemby many of the frst minds in the kingdom," according to the English music scholar Charles Burney
His oratorio on the seasons is an imaginative sound painting that stylistically transcends the Baroque and already hints at the Sensitive Style. In particular, the richly coloured depictions of nature - from the chirping of birds to the swaying of the forest to icy winter storms - are impressively accomplished by Smith and show that he was far more than Handel's assistant.
Tracklisting
Soloists, Kammerchor der Christuskirche Karlsruhe, L'arpa festante, Peter Gortner
Heinrich-Isaac-Ensemble; ensemble officium
Soloists; l'arpa festante
Rafael Catala, Musica Iberica
Rebeka Ruso; Sebastian Wienand
Kurt Meier; Howard Griffith; Royal Northern Sinfonia
Francesca Venturi Ferriolo; Salon Violet
Luca Cervoni; Concerto Romano
Polina Pastirchak, Anke Vondung, Sungmin Song, Milan Siljanov, Chorwerk Ruhr, Bochumer Symphoniker,
Kammerchor Stuttgart; Barockorchester Stuttgart; Frieder Bernius; Hannah Morrison; Franziska Bobe;
Choralchor der St. Johannis-Kantorei Rostock
Capella Daleminzia, Capella Vocale Waldheim, Rene Michael Roder
Gewandhaus Children's Choir, Frank-Steffen Elster, Gewandhaus Youth Choir, Gewandhaus Choir, Gregor
Aukso - Chamber Orchestra Of The City Of Tychy, Camerata Silesia Katowice City Singers' Ensemble, Marek Mos
Herbert von Karajan; The Philharmonia Orchestra; Berliner Philharmoniker
Soloists, Netherlands Chamber Choir, Orchestra of the 18th Century, Frans Bruggen
