"When I think of God, I can write only cheerful music" said
Joseph Haydn. So when he turned to the greatest story of all time,
his imagination simply bubbled over. The Creation is filled
with sparkling melodies, blockbuster choruses and a joyous, generous
spirit that finds room for both angels and earthworms. But Haydn saw
further than others, and his depiction of a universe emerging from
chaos inspired music of cosmic grandeur, too.
This first concert in our series The Great Oratorios
revisits a work performed many times by the Northampton Bach Choir,
but our last performance was nearly twenty years ago in March 2002.
This performance will feature Dr Philip Moody’s new libretto for the
work, which was originally written in German and has suffered from a
very uneven (putting it mildly!) English translation by Gottfried,
Baron van Swieten since 1800. Dr Moody’s translation, which formed
the core of his Doctoral studies, reviewed all the original sources,
both German and English, as well as the King James version of the
Bible and Milton’s Paradise Lost.
We are delighted to welcome back the Bach Camerata to accompany the
performance; the Bach Camerata last accompanied the choir in
December 2015 in another performance of Haydn’s music (St Nicholas
Mass, ‘Great’ Organ Solo Mass, and the Toy Symphony).
Programme:
Northampton Bach Choir
Bach Camerata
Conductor - Lee Dunleavy
Haydn - The Creation |
