The Creation

Haydn’s “The Creation” will be performed by Dr. Margot Rejskind’s Luminos Ensemble and Chamber Orchestra and the Island Choral Society on April 26 at 3 pm at St. Paul’s in Charlottetown. The combined ensemble of 60 musicians will present Haydn’s setting of the creation story. The soloists are Georgia Driscoll, Brodie MacRae and Ian Solomon. The performance will run approximately 90 minutes.

It starts with a bang—a Big Bang. Haydn takes the audience back to the very beginning: the formless chaos and then suddenly there is light. He musically paints the first six days: waters, land and skies; the trees and plants; sun, moon and stars; the sea creatures and birds; the multitudes of animals; and finally, humankind.

Thus concludes Haydn’s oratorio, written two and a quarter centuries ago to portray the creation of the world as narrated in Genesis, with additional references from the Psalms and Milton’s “Paradise Lost.” Soloists tell the story as the archangels Raphael, Uriel and Gabriel, and finally as Adam and Eve. Accompanying the narrative are choruses and orchestral passages.

The premier performance in Vienna in 1798 was by invitation only; however, the crowds of ordinary Haydn fans reportedly packed the streets outside, requiring police presence to keep order. 

“But on April 26th at St. Paul’s,” says Margot Rejskind, “we trust we’ll have enough room for everyone inside!”

Tickets are available at luminosensemble.com, or cash-only at the door. Admission is free for children under 12. Email islandchoralsociety@gmail.com or call 902-628-6778 for more information.