Haydn’s ‘The Creation’ forms the programme for our upcoming concert. This oratorio will be performed by two choirs, an orchestra, organ and three professional soloists. Familiar, no doubt, to followers of classical choral music, to others the origins of the piece may be less well known so a few paragraphs might be of interest.
Haydn’s oratorio chronicles the transition from chaos to the creation of the world and all life within it. The librettist Gottfried van Swieten turned to the Book of Genesis for much of work and the result is big, bold and positively uplifting. You would be forgiven for thinking this to be the work of the maestro in his youth, or early adulthood but Josef H whose success had until then been based on symphonies, sonatas and string quartets, did not turn his hand to the art of oratorio until he was past the age of sixty – positively ancient in 1792.
It is commonly agreed that he was inspired by the success of Handel who was doing rather well from this genre, in particular ‘The Messiah’ a work which Haydn heard in Westminster Abbey during a visit to England.
And indeed, it is believed that an early version of the libretto had been rejected by Handel before being offered to Haydn who took this draft home and turned to van Swieten, who eventually produced his libretto in both German and English.
The Creation was premiered to great acclaim in Vienna in 1798. The first performance was a private affair, by invitation only for the great and the good of Vienna but the streets around the Schwarzenberg Palace were so crowded with the common people trying to hear the long awaited work, that the police had to be called. The following year the first public performance was sold out way in advance.
Fortunately, tickets for our performance on Saturday 27th April are still available, from members of SCS or, online. We don’t expect to have to call in the constabulary!
Find out more on Wikipedia and at https://www.glyndebourne.com/autumn/introducing-haydns-the-creation/
Buy tickets: https://www.wegottickets.com/event/610845