The Seasons

Album by Joseph Haydn & Elsie Morison & Alexander Young & Michael Langdon & Royal Philharmonic Orchestra & Beecham Choral Society & Sir Thomas Beecham

The Seasons is an oratorio by Austrian composer Joseph Haydn, completed in 1801. The work is a large-scale vocal and orchestral composition that depicts pastoral scenes and the cycle of the year through soloists, chorus and orchestra, combining Classical-era clarity, contrapuntal writing and descriptive instrumental effects, and it represents one of Haydn's significant late-career choral works.

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Disc 1

  1. 1.
    The Seasons: Spring: Overture
    4:34
  2. 2.
    The Seasons: Spring: Recitative: O See Where Cruel Winter Flies
    2:43
  3. 3.
    The Seasons: Spring: Chorus: Come, Gentle Spring!
    3:08
  4. 4.
    The Seasons: Spring: Recitative: From Aries Rolls at Last the Bounteous Sun
    0:40
  5. 5.
    The Seasons: Spring: Air: Now Fairly Runs the Farmer’s Boy
    4:04
  6. 6.
    The Seasons: Spring: Recitative: The Farmer Has His Work Achieved
    0:40
  7. 7.
    The Seasons: Spring: Trio and Chorus: Be Now Gracious, Smiling Heaven!
    5:39
  8. 8.
    The Seasons: Spring: Recitative: Now Heard Are All Our Prayers
    1:05
  9. 9.
    The Seasons: Spring: Trio and Chorus: O How Lovely Gleams the Outlook
    5:11
  10. 10.
    The Seasons: Spring: Chorus and Trio: Ageless! Powerful! Bountiful God!
    5:36
  11. 11.
    The Seasons: Summer: Recitative: In Dove-Grey Mantle Drawing Near
    3:53
  12. 12.
    The Seasons: Summer: Air: The Lively Swain Is Gath’Ring Now His Happy Flocks
    2:10
  13. 13.
    The Seasons: Summer: Recitative: The Rosy Morning Breaks Forth
    0:41
  14. 14.
    The Seasons: Summer: Trio and Chorus: He’s Mounting Up, the Sun
    4:53
  15. 15.
    The Seasons: Summer: Recitative: Now All Are a Stir
    0:46
  16. 16.
    The Seasons: Summer: Recitative: The Midday Sun Is Burning Now
    1:14
  17. 17.
    The Seasons: Summer: Cavatina: Oppress’d Succumbs All Nature Now
    4:08
  18. 18.
    The Seasons: Summer: Recitative: Oh Welcome Now, You Shadier Grove
    4:43
  19. 19.
    The Seasons: Summer: Air: So Reviving to the Senses
    5:14
  20. 20.
    The Seasons: Summer: Recitative: Oh See! Now Rising in the Sultry Air
    2:10
  21. 21.
    The Seasons: Summer: Chorus: Hark the Tempset Drawing Night
    4:18
  22. 22.
    The Seasons: Summer: Trio and Chorus: The Gloomy Clouds Now Part Aside
    4:28

Disc 2

  1. 2.
    The Seasons: Autumn: Overture
    1:55
  2. 3.
    The Seasons: Autumn: Recitative: All That Through Her Blossom Fair Spring
    1:11
  3. 4.
    The Seasons: Autumn: Trio and Chorus: So Nature Gives Reward to Zeal
    8:34
  4. 5.
    The Seasons: Autumn: Recitative: Now See! To Hazel Bushes There the Youngsters
    1:17
  5. 6.
    The Seasons: Autumn: Duet: You Beauties of the Town
    8:20
  6. 7.
    The Seasons: Autumn: Recitative: Now See, on New-Stripp’d Harvest Field
    1:04
  7. 8.
    The Seasons: Autumn: Air: There Look Across the Open Fields!
    3:12
  8. 9.
    The Seasons: Autumn: Recitative: Here Beaters, Closing In, Put Up the Hares
    0:59
  9. 10.
    The Seasons: Autumn: Chorus: Hark! The Clamorous Noise That Through the Wood
    3:26
  10. 11.
    The Seasons: Autumn: Recitative: On All the Vines Are Glist’Ning
    1:16
  11. 12.
    The Seasons: Autumn: Chorus: Cheer Now! The Wine Is Here
    6:17
  12. 13.
    The Seasons: Winter: Introduction
    3:06
  13. 14.
    The Seasons: Winter: Recitative: Now Sinks the Pale Declining Year
    2:33
  14. 15.
    The Seasons: Winter: Cavatina: Light and Life Are Both Enfeeled
    2:43
  15. 16.
    The Seasons: Winter: Recitative: All Fetter’d Lies the Open Lake
    1:46
  16. 17.
    The Seasons: Winter: Air: Here Stands the Wand’Rer Now
    5:07
  17. 18.
    The Seasons: Winter: Recitative: At His Approach Rings in His Ear
    1:21
  18. 19.
    The Seasons: Winter: Song and Chorus: Purring, Whirring, Purring
    2:36
  19. 20.
    The Seasons: Winter: Recitative: The Flax Has Now Been Spun
    0:31
  20. 21.
    The Seasons: Winter: Song and Chorus: A Maid Who Kept Her Honour Fair
    3:31
  21. 22.
    The Seasons: Winter: Recitative: From Barren East Now Thrust Far Keener Icy Blasts
    0:48
  22. 23.
    The Seasons: Winter: Air: Before Thee Here, Deluded Man
    4:36
  23. 24.
    The Seasons: Winter: Recitative: Remains, Alone, and Is Our Guide
    0:26
  24. 25.
    The Seasons: Winter: Trio and Chorus: Then Breaks the Glorious Day at Last
    5:20

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