Haydn’s oratorio encompasses the entire world. The exuberant The Creation resounds magnificently in this joint production by VocalEspoo and the Tapiola Sinfonietta.
Kaapo Ijas conductor
Aurora Mathens soprano
Tuomas Miettola tenor
Matti Turunen bass
EMO Ensemble
Kamarikuoro Audite
Joseph Haydn: The Creation, Oratorio, Hob. XXI:2
After hearing Handel’s Messiah, Haydn told a violinist friend that he was so deeply moved by the work that he wanted to write something similar, but wasn’t sure of a subject. The friend handed him a Bible and said, “There — start from the beginning!”
Haydn was a devout Catholic, but also, in the spirit of the Enlightenment, interested in the sciences and especially astronomy. At the time the work was composed, the biblical worldview and science were not seen as conflicting: fossils were considered remnants of the Great Flood, and the order of the universe was consistent with the creation story.
Haydn’s oratorio, which delves into the Creation story, encompasses the entire world. It touches, moves, and dazzles with its scale, its splendor of color, and the exuberant joy of its music. Creation feels more relevant than ever in a world where human activity is upsetting nature’s delicate balance. The composer, however, does not convey his message through gloom, but through boundless joy and optimism. “Since God has given me a cheerful heart, He will forgive me for serving Him cheerfully!”
