March 5, 2009
Symphony, combined choirs, soloists present Haydn’s ‘The Creation’
Geoffrey Boers will conduct the University Symphony, Chamber Singers and University Chorale in a performance of one of the most beloved oratorios of all time, Josef Haydn’s The Creation, at 7:30 p.m. Friday, March 13, in Meany Theater.
Haydn was inspired to write the large oratorio during his visits to England in 1791-1792 and 1794-1795, when he heard the oratorios of Handel performed. It was also a profound act of faith for this deeply religious man, who appended the words “Praise to God” at the end of every completed composition. He later remarked, “I was never so devout as when I was at work on The Creation; I fell on my knees each day and begged God to give me the strength to finish the work.”
The work on the oratorio lasted from October 1796 to April 1798. It was the longest time Haydn had ever spent on a single composition. Explaining this, he wrote, “I spent much time over it because I expect it to last for a long time.”
The text for the oratorio — which tells the story of God’s creation of the Earth — comes from the Bible and from Milton’s Paradise Lost. Soloists in the work sing the roles of angels and of Adam and Eve. Faculty artists Joyce Guyer and Thomas Harper are the featured soloists in this performance.
Also on the program is Latvian composer Laureate Peteris Vasks’ moving work Dona Nobis Pacem, for string orchestra and chorus.
There will be a pre-concert conversation led by Don Thulean, conductor emeritus of the Spokane Symphony Orchestra, from 6:45 to 7:15 p.m. in the Meany Hall West Lobby. The lecture is free, but you must have a ticket for the performance to attend. Tickets are $10 and are available at the Arts Ticket Office, 206-543-4880 or online at www.meany.org.
