That is Handel's most famous work, one first intended for audiences at Easter and Lent but now a Yuletide tradition. This other oratorio was composed about 58 years later and can be considered as Haydn's supreme masterpiece.
This performance is by large-scale musical forces as intended (about 100 in the orchestra and another 100 in the choir) trying to copy the 1799 original performance, that was sung in English. Conductor Paul McCreesh handles it well.
He has excellent male soloists in Mark Padmore (tenor) as Uriel, Neal Davies (bass) as Raphael, and Peter Harvey (baritone) as Adam - all English speakers. The women are both non-English-speaking sopranos, but manage beautifully: Sandrine Piau as Gabriel and Miah Persson as Eve. Gabrieli Players boosted their usual numbers to sextuple wind with an extended string section.
From the huge blast of sound in ''The Representation of Chaos'', opening The Creation, one rightly feels this will be a thrilling performance. It has been recorded (Watford Colosseum, 2006) in detail with a stunning dynamic range; turn down volume in that thunderous opening and you may miss some quieter passages that soon follow. It is a concert-hall experience - one of big impacts, great tenderness and spiritual depth.
Most recordings of The Creation use a German libretto but it was originally published in two languages. The surviving English libretto has been often retranslated so McCreesh gave it a thorough revision, one that can be easily heard or followed in the booklet.
Highlight: Truly spirited, joyful oratorio.
