Die Jahreszeiten(English): C.davis / Bbc So & Cho Harper Shirley-quirk

Haydn was inspired to write his English oratorios after seeing Handel's Messiah in London in 1791. They bear distinctly Handelian marks in music, language, and inspiration. Haydn subjugates the usually religious theme of an oratorio in The Seasons to the portrayal of human life as a simple element embedded in a greater natural framework. He lauds the creator with choral praise, but the subject of the drama is a year in the rustic life of a farmer, his daughter and her suitor. Illustrations abound of nature, and of the peasants' farm life.
Colin Davis commands an impressive performance by the BBC Symphony Orchestra. The BBC chorus shines with Handelian majesty on the final "Then breaks that glorious day." Soloist John Shirley-Quirk delivers a robust, evocative performance as the farmer with Heather Harper as his daughter and Ryland Davies as her suitor.