An Early Oratorio from Haydn

 

Be prepared to spend some time with it too.

At over three hours in length, it will take stalwart listeners, or lovers of Haydn, to reap rewards throughout The Return of Tobias.

Not that there is anything wrong with the music, but I found only the five big choruses as moments to really get the blood flowing.

Otherwise, there are a multitude of vocal solos, with quite a team of soloists. Really, Zoghby is the only one I am unfamiliar with, and each approach Haydn warmly, as does the Royal Philharmonic under Hungarian conductor Antal Doráti.

If the length of Il Ritorno di Tobia is off-putting, there are some period instrument performances which bring them under 2 hours, but that soundworld isn't for me.

 

A review from 2023

About 20 years separate Haydn’s early oratorio, The Return of Tobias, with his later more famous efforts The Creation and The Seasons. Tobias is also much longer than those two, here at 3 hours and 10 minutes in length, although Antal Doráti and the Royal Philharmonic are not the longest recording.

Dorati gives us Haydn’s revision, which most importantly includes five big choruses; one at the beginning and the end, another smack dab between Part 1 & 2, and two more in the middle of each Part. The chorus 'Vanishes in a Moment' is the most thrilling, and each Act ends with chorus and soloists combined.

The rest of the oratorio consists of extremely florid solo arias and recitatives. Each soloist gets at least two solos to themselves, with each between 8-14 minutes in length. Haydn requires a wide range, with each soprano soloist needing a strong low range, and flexibility, for Haydn’s solo lines leap about liberally.

The orchestral role is more genteel, but supports the action best it can. This recording is one of only a very few modern orchestra (not period) performances, and it is a treasure. The Brighton Festival Chorus is superbly prepared by the great Hungarian chorus master László Heltay, although I could imagine a more frighteningly dramatic approach.

The soloists are all famous from their day, here recorded in 1979 at Kingsway Hall. Della Jones gets most of the action, and her lower register is the meatiest from this crew of sopranos. I especially like Benjamin Luxon’s ringing baritone, while Philip Langridge’s tenor is more lyrical and open.

Really a terrific recording in fine Decca sound. On the opposite end, Nikolaus Harnoncourt leads a live recording on Orfeo and tosses Haydn’s oratorio off in a mere 2 hours and 30 minutes on just 2 CDs.

But this Dorati performance exhibits excellent soloists across the board in clear, warm Decca sound. Also to note, if only get the Japanese reissue is available, it has liner notes in Japanese only, with song texts in Italian and translated into Japanese; no English.

 

Listen on YouTube

 

 

 

Works
Il Ritorno di Tobia, Hob. XXI:1

Soloists
Barbara Hendricks, soprano
Linda Zoghby, mezzo
Della Jones, contralto
Philip Langridge, tenor
Benjamin Luxon, baritone

Performers
Brighton Festival Chorus
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
Antal Doráti, conductor

Label: Decca
Year: 1980; 1994; 2009
Total Timing: 64.51

 

 

 

 

 

The Return of Tobias is probably only for ardent fans of Haydn. Most others should turn to The Creation or The Seasons to begin exploring Haydn's oratorios.

Yet nothing here is daunting. This is just rather long in timing, but altogether beautifully sung and played.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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