A rare opportunity to hear one of Haydn’s greatest works, composed in 1801 towards the end of his long creative life, not long after his other great oratorio The Creation.  The text which Haydn chose comes from The Seasons by the Scottish poet James Thomson, a very popular work at the time.  Haydn was born in the countryside and retained a lifelong love of hunting and other country pleasures.  The four seasons are depicted in music of great variety and charm.  The three soloists represent the rustic characters Jane, Lucas and Simon while the chorus provide memorable depictions of harvest celebrations, exuberant hunting scenes and drunken merriment.  Haydn’s wonderful orchestration evokes a superb sunrise in summer and the lively antics of a spaniel in the autumn hunt, among many other delights.