Jan Willem de Vriend: Haydn's Die Jahreszeiten

Jan Willem de Vriend, a specialist in the repertoire of the eighteenth century, conducts soloists, Groot Omroepkoor and the Radio Philharmonic Orchestra in Haydn's merry world oratorio Die Jahreszeiten.

The seasons according to Haydn
The seasons have been set to music countless times over the centuries with Vivaldi being the most famous example. But Haydn's version is perhaps the most elaborate, a complete world oratorio with four soloists, choir and orchestra. Haydn himself was not so confident about it. He toiled on it for more than two years and was not entirely satisfied with the end result. The public thought otherwise: 'With the abundance of musical inventions, the wildest expectations were exceeded,' jubilated one reviewer after the premiere in 1801. And still today it is a much-loved work by a wide audience.

World oratorio with humor
In Die Jahreszeiten, we follow farmer Simon, his daughter Hanne and his servant Lukas for a year in their agricultural concerns in the Austrian countryside. You hear all kinds of things pass by: a whistling plowing farmer Simon in the spring, a heavy thunderstorm in the summer, a hunting party and wine festival in the fall, and domestic coziness with a slightly mischievous Hanne in the winter. With a multitude of lyric portrayals, the music follows the text closely, with the subtle humor so characteristic of Haydn regularly popping up around the corner. Soloists, the Groot Omroepkoor and the Radio Philharmonic Orchestra are conducted by 18th-century music specialist Jan Willem de Vriend.