Haydn's The Creation

Durham Choral Society

Haydn was inspired to write an oratorio during visits to England in the 1790s when he heard large groups performing Handel’s oratorios. Based on an anonymous poem ‘The Creation of the World’, the words were adapted by Baron Gottfried van Swieten. 'The Creation' was premiered at private performances in Vienna in 1798. The first public performance in Vienna was in 1799 and it was sold out well in advance. Covent Garden saw the London premiere a year later, when ‘The Creation’ was sung in English. Unusually, the work was published bilingually in both German and English from the outset.

Durham Choral Society performed ‘The Creation’ at its inaugural concert in Durham Town Hall in 1962 and is singing it again to mark 60 years of glorious choral music.

Our soloists will be:

Gabriel - Elizabeth Roberts (Soprano)

Uriel - Ben Thapa (Tenor)

Rafael - Christopher Foster (Bass-Baritone)

More information about Durham Choral Society can be found at www.durhamchoralsociety.org.uk.