Robert Spano

Kresley Figueroa

Matthew Goodheart

Joseph Park

James K. Bass

Seraphic Fire Professional Choral Institute

Aspen Music Festival

Seraphic Fire

Tune in to a free livestream of this concert live from the Benedict Music Tent.

Haydn’s exuberant and life-affirming oratorio The Creation tops off the summer’s theme “The Adoration of the Earth.” During his first visit to London, Haydn attended one of the Handel festivals held in Westminster Abbey. He was so overwhelmed by Messiah and Israel in Egypt that he determined to compose an oratorio himself that could stand alongside Handel’s supreme masterpieces in the genre. The work was an immediate success and received many performances all over Europe. As in opera and most oratorios, The Creation has named characters. Soloists represent the archangels Gabriel, Uriel, and Raphael, and later Adam and Eve. Parts One and Two describe the six days of Creation. In Part Three, Adam and Eve make their appearance and celebrate the newly created world and their happiness together.

Livestream: Haydn's Creation

The Creation (Die Schöpfung)