Franz Joseph Haydn The Creation, Hob. XXI : 2
When Haydn took a trip to London in 1791, he was already the most famous composer in Europe. Known for his many symphonies, he had achieved wealth, status, and a comfortable life in Vienna. During his trip, Haydn attended performances of grand oratorios, like Messiah and Israel in Egypt by Handel. The scale of these works, with their large chorus and orchestra, playing to a hall filled with thousands of concert goers, dwarfed the musical parameters Haydn was used to: writing for small orchestras who performed privately for Austrian nobility. Inspired by Handel’s oratorios, Haydn set out to make his mark on the form.
The Creation is considered to be Haydn’s masterpiece. The oratorio was first performed in Vienna in 1799 and was so popular it received 40 repeat performances in Vienna alone over the next ten years. Published in both German and English, The Creation is one of the great works of the choral/orchestral repertoire, telling the story of creation as relayed by angels, and Adam and Eve. The work has maintained universal popularity from its premiere to this day, and is one of the most compelling depictions of creation ever relayed in art.