Haydn’s oratorio “The Seasons” – two concerts at Warsaw Philharmonic

Soprano Natalia Rubiś, tenor Petr Nekoranec and bass-baritone Robert Gierlach will come together as soloists in Haydn’s oratorio “The Seasons“. On two evenings, April 12 and 13, 2024, the Choir and Orchestra of the Warsaw Philharmonic will be conducted by Łukasz Borowicz.

Ludwik Erhardt introduces the concert: Joseph Haydn, encouraged by the enthusiastic reception of his oratorio “The Creation” (1798), set to work on “The Seasons”. First performed at Prince Schwarzenberg’s palace in Vienna in 1801, the piece was based around James Thomson’s eighteenth-century series of poems with the same title. Four poems describe the successive seasons of the year and reflect on them through a dialogue between three characters: the host Simon (bass), his daughter Jane (soprano) and a young peasant Lucas (tenor), with commentary provided by the Chorus of Peasants. There is no storyline in the traditional sense, the oratorio focuses on the natural progression of events over the year.

The first performance will be preceded with a talk in the “What Are We Playing About?” series. The discussion will be held at the Concert Hall (entrance from Sienkiewicza Street) on April 12 at 6:30 p.m. Róża Światczyńska and special guest Łukasz Borowicz will talk about Haydn’s “The Seasons”. Admission is free to ticket holders and concert subscribers and members of the Warsaw Philharmonic Friends’ Club.

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