The Creation / NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchestra

In the beginning there was chaos. After that, in the enlightened libretto of »The Creation«, confusion is replaced by order, until the entire world can marvel at the wonderful results of God’s grand scheme. The NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchestra, the NDR Chor and a superb group of singers under the direction of Thomas Hengelbrock take Haydn’s invitation seriously: »Awake the harp, the lyre awake!«

For Haydn, the creation of a German language oratorio was something novel. It was also a conscious renunciation of the conventional Italian oratorio. At the time, Haydn had ventured across the Channel to England and was inspired by the massive choirs he heard at rapturously received performances of Handel’s oratorios. A role model for Hamburg in 2017: with a similar feeling of inspiration, the performances of »The Creation« in the opening festival mark the start of a bright future for the Elbphilharmonie.