Haydn: Die Schöpfung Hob. XXI:2 Recording Supervision: Hans Weber. Recording Engineer: Günter Hermanns. Recording sessions during rehearsals for concert performances at the Philharmonie Berlin. Rec. at Jesus-Christus-Kirche, Berlin, 1966-02-21 - 1966-02-27 (with Fritz Wunderlich) & 1968-09, 1968-11 and 1969 (with Werner Krenn).

• Cast: Fritz Wunderlich (Uriel in Nos. 1,2,12,13,19,24,34), Werner Krenn (Uriel in Nos. 9, 11, 18, 23, 27, 29, 33), Gundula Janowitz (Eva), Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau (Adam), Walter Berry (Raphael), Christa Ludwig (contralto solo in No. 34), Singverein der Gesellschaft der Musikfreunde Wien, Berliner Philharmoniker, cond. Herbert von Karajan

• Roger Fiske in "Gramophone" 10/1984: "This recording has been in the catalogue for 15 years without a gap, and its many merits are balanced with some curious features. One is that it employs almost twice as many top soloists as some other recordings. It is not unusual to have different singers for Raphael in Parts 1 and 2 and Adam in Part 3 (though Haydn did not ask for two); these characters arguably need singers of a slightly different type. The use of two tenor soloists can also be explained - Wunderlich met a tragic death during the recording sessions (it is he who is the more assertive and who sings most of the solos; Krenn, the smoother in tone, most of the recitative and ensembles). It seems odd at one point to hear different tenors in adjacent recits, Nos. 11 and 12. And although Christa Ludwig is featured on the sleeve she sings only in the five very difficult bars that require soloists in the final chorus; they last about ten seconds, and the first two bars are not all that well done. Karajan resisted having a younger and fresher soprano for Eve in Part 3 as some conductors have done, perhaps because Janowitz already sounds as fresh and bell-like as anyone could want. Fischer-Dieskau as Adam is also superb.
  A small cut is made near the start of the Allegretto in No. 30 and a long one, some hundred bars, in the Duet, No. 32. This was presumably to fit the whole of Part 3 on to a single 30/minute side. Other recordings manage by starting Part 3 at the end of the preceding side, by going over 30 minutes, or by happening to adopt slightly faster tempos, all of which are arguably better solutions to the problem. All the orchestral playing is admirable, but the chorus has been bettered on several more recent recordings, and this can also be said of the sound and the balance, good though these are for 1969."
• Hilary Finch in "Gramophone", 12/1991: "As for the voices themselves: well, this is the Creation of Fritz Wunderlich, of Gundula Janowitz and of Fischer-Dieskau. Wunderlich's unique sensitivity to the dramatic energy of each vowel and consonant within an effortlessly lyrical line creates unforgettable moments like the shift from sun to moonlight, and the first image of created Man. Wunderlich's death, in mid-recording, means that, here and there, Walter Krenn is a substitute Uriel, cunningly matched in weight and timbre, though expressively distant."
• Nigel Douglas in "Legendary Voices" (see Bibliography): "Herbert von Karajan conducts the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, and it was with these same forces that Wunderlich made one of the finest of his recordings, Haydn's Creation. He did not in fact live to complete it, and one or two brief passages had to be sung by another tenor [actually 7 numbers, AP]. Mercifully, however, the bulk of the role is pure Wunderlich, and it is singing of a quality beyond praise. To call it perfect would be to denigrate it, because mere perfection excludes individuality, and it was Wunderlich's habit to place his personal stamp on every bar that he sang."
• "The Rough Guide to Classical Music", 1994: "Karajan's recording of Die Schoepfung ranks with his account of Beethoven's Missa Solemnis. Like the Solemnis recording, it boasts an incredible cast - though tragically Fritz Wunderlich died before completing the sessions, and the inadequate Werner Krenn replaced him for those sections left incomplete. Apart from this, Karajan used two singers for the roles of Raphael and Adam, when one singer usually takes both roles, and he brought in Christa Ludwig just for the final movement's 'Let every voice sing unto the Lord'. While all this might suggest a fractured performance, it is one of Karajan's most brilliantly realized and cohesive interpretations, and it has a sense of great occasion from beginning to end. With Janowitz, Wunderlich and Berry in glorious form, this romantic, old-fashioned and well-recorded performace is unsurpassed."
• From the "Classicalinsites" web site, 1998: "This recording features some of the greatest singers of the late 1960s. Fritz Wunderlich, the magnificent tenor, died (age 36) before the recording was completed; Werner Krenn sang the missing music. Herbert von Karajan leads a performance that perfectly balances the monumental and intimate aspects of this great masterpiece."
• Richard Wigmore in "Gramophone", 02/1999: "All the solo singing here is superlative, and Wunderlich's Uriel is surely unmatched: radiant, dramatically alive, nobly phrased, and banishing hell's spirits in his opening number with a depth of tone commanded by few other lyric tenors."
• Andrew Farach-Colton on the Barnes & Noble.com web site: "Tenor Fritz Wunderlich had one of the sweetest and loveliest tenor voices captured on disc. Sadly, he died in a bizarre household accident at the age of 36, in the midst of making this recording of Haydn's oratario THE CREATION. Wunderlich had recorded all of the arias, so the remaining recitatives were taken over by Werner Krenn. Even 'incomplete,' this performance is a fitting tribute to Wunderlich's extraordinary talent. All of the soloists are in peak form, and the choir, the Wiener Singverein, sings with power and assurance. Herbert von Karajan conveys the grandeur and infinite tenderness of Haydn's magnificent score, drawing ravishing sounds from the Berlin Philharmonic, and painting the orchestral introduction - a musical depiction of chaos - with brushstrokes worthy of a Michelangelo."

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	DG 435 077-2 Galleria (2 CD)
	DG 449 761-2 Originals ( 2 CD)
	DG 2707 030 (2 LP)
	DG 2707 044 (2 LP)
	DG 410 951-1 (2 LP)
	DG 413 483-1 Präsent (2 LP)
	DG 643 515/16 (2 LP)
	DG 3370 005 (2 MC)
	DG 410 951-4GX2 (2 MC)

Highlights on

	DG 439 454-2 Classikon
	DG 136 439
	DG 2535 146 Resonance
	DG 2535 146 Privilege
	DG 2535 609
	DG 2545 055
	DG 2563 632

Excerpts on

	DG 447 220-2 ("Die Himmel erzählen die Ehre Gottes" on "Basic Haydn", 2 CD)
	DG 459 027-2 Centenary Coll. (4 tracks on "DG Cent. Coll. 1965")
	DG 459 068-2 Centenary Coll. (4 tracks on "DG Cent. Coll. Vol. 4: 1958-1967", + 9 CDs without FW, 10 CDs)
	Hieber MH 9012 CD (on "Helmut Lohner erzählt: Die Schöpfung")

Fritz Wunderlich Discography