On Saturday 4th April, The Marches Choir, conducted by Alistair Auld, will present Haydn's Creation. The singers in the 70-strong chorus will be joined by 20 others from Cardigan in West Wales, a full orchestra and three professional soloists - Caroline Clarke (soprano), Matthew Sandy (tenor) and Nicholas Morris (bass).
It’s hard to imagine a choral work more life-affirming than Haydn’s Creation - a vision of the universe that embraces both earthworms and angels, with music that is uplifting throughout.
Haydn was inspired to write a large oratorio during his visits to England in 1790s, when he heard Handel’s Messiah and Israel in Egypt, both performed by large forces. It is likely that Haydn wanted to try to achieve results of comparable weight, using the musical language of the mature classical style.
The text of Creation has three sources - Genesis, the Biblical book of Psalms, and John Milton's Paradise Lost. This Biblical story, told in music of cosmic grandeur, is a journey of uninhibited joy from the dramatic moment the first ray of light hits the waters of the deep.
Undoubtedly the most famous chorus from Creation is The Heavens Are Telling, a much-loved setting of Psalm 19, but the whole work is full of wonderful choruses, duets, trios and solos, presented in a seamless outpouring of musical inspiration.
The concert will open with a birthday celebration for Ludwig Van Beethoven, whose 250th anniversary falls in 2020. His Hallelujah Chorus from a larger work, ‘Christ on the Mount of Olives’, is an arresting and exciting tribute to Handel’s chorus of the same name, and provides a fitting salute from the Marches Choir and Sinfonia.
Alistair Auld, conductor of the Marches Choir, says "With a full force of over 100 performers, this concert will dazzle even the most passive of listeners. The music is powerfully evocative of the wonders of the Heavens".
Heather Willis, Marches Choir Chairman says: "The wonderful setting of St John’s Church is a perfect venue for this event. Haydn’s Creation is such a joy to sing and we hope the audience will love it too. The concert promises to be a real treat".