Haydn's oratorio, The Creation, was inspired by Handel's oratorios and an English libretto, which was later translated and adapted into German by Gottfried van Swieten.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Haydn's oratorio, The Creation, is praised for its tone painting and the richly colored way the music describes nature and animals.
Critical Reception
The world premiere of The Creation on April 30, 1798, was a huge success, with the audience described as 'ecstatic, amazed, entranced, intoxicated with joy and admiration'.
Composition History
Haydn started composing The Creation in autumn 1796, aiming to write something that would perpetuate his name, and completed the score on April 6, 1798.
Recording & Production
This album was recorded at the Jesse H. Jones Hall for the Performing Arts in Houston, Texas, from September 27 to October 2, 2016.
Composer Biography
Joseph Haydn, the composer, spent almost 30 years as a well-paid employee of the Esterházy family, which forced him to become original due to isolation.
Compositional Technique
The oratorio's introduction, 'The Representation of Chaos,' uses harmonic diversity, dissonances, and deceptive cadences to evoke deserted soundscapes before a radiant C major describes the emergence of light.
You might also enjoy...
Handel: Messiah, HWV 56 (Highlights)
Stölzel: Ein Lämmlein geht und trägt die Schuld
Handel, G.F.: Samson [Oratorio] (Mcgegan)
Händel: Messias
Haydn: Die Schöpfung
Haydn: Die Schöpfung - Sung in German [The Creation]
J.S. Bach: Christmas Oratorio
Handel: Messiah - Highlights
Bach: Christmas Oratorio
Handel: Messiah HWV56
Handel: Messiah Highlights
Haydn, F.J.: Schopfung (Die) (The Creation) [Oratorio]
