4010072022523

John Christopher Smith: The Seasons (Oratorio 1740)

Emma Kirkby; Tim Mead; Festivalchor Musica Franconia

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Format: 2CD

Cat No: CHE02252

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Release Date:  06 May 2022

Label:  Christophorus

Packaging Type:  Brilliant Case (Jewel Case size, Holds 2 CDs)

No of Units:  2

Barcode:  4010072022523

Genres:  Classical  Choral  

  • 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

      Disc 1

      Side 1

      • 1. John Christopher Smith: The Seasons

      Disc 2

      • 1. John Christopher Smith: The Seasons (Continued)