United Kingdom Haydn, The Creation: Louise Alder (soprano), Allan Clayton (tenor), Michael Mofidian (bass-baritone), London Philharmonic Choir (Artistic Director: Neville Creed), London Philharmonic Orchestra / Edward Gardner (conductor). Royal Festival Hall, London, 2.3.2024. (JR)
This was a fine, elegant but not especially thrilling or entertaining Creation from Gardner and his London Philharmonic Orchestra forces. There were no nods at all to period performance, so it was all rather too earthbound and refined.
From the work’s first performance in Vienna in 1798, The Creation caused a sensation in Europe. A young Beethoven was in the audience, Salieri was at the piano. As Haydn, by then old and ill, left the hall, Beethoven kissed the old man’s hand. Haydn, on a trip to London, had heard of the English choral tradition and witnessed a Messiah, which prompted him to write a Handelian oratorio to try to match its effect. Haydn first used a German text by Baron von Swieten but Haydn wanted to perform the work in England and immediately set about ordering a translation (exactly who did the English translation has never been established).
Even in English-speaking countries, The Creation is often sung in the vernacular. German is the language for which the music was originally composed and which fits the notes more convincingly. Along comes conductor Paul McCreesh, founder of the Gabrieli Consort, in 2008 to re-write some of the English text to fit the notes better. Whilst I personally prefer the beauty of the German language version, McCreesh has done a good job. It is more modern, of course, and speaks directly to an English audience. Sometimes simple changes in word order, sometimes inserting one word with the correct number of syllables, occasionally more inventiveness is required. Anyone who has sung The Creation over recent decades will have had to re-learn the text; and I noticed most of the chorus looking at their scores virtually throughout. A busy concert schedule will not have helped.
Turning to the soloists: an excellent bunch. Louise Alder’s star rose only a few years ago and, rightly, she is huge demand all over the world. She has a clear, radiant voice with glittering top notes and nimble coloratura technique; and a winning personality to match – she made for an Eve who was appropriately desirable. Her bird-like trills in her Angel Gabriel aria were a joy. Her Adam was Scottish bass-baritone Michael Mofidian. He had a difficult start to the work, an unaccompanied Foreword which Mofidian found tricky to pitch; he warmed up quickly and, although I found his tone rather dry at times, he put in a very valiant effort. His low D on ‘the worm’ was admirable (some basses are tempted to go an octave higher). Allan Clayton can, in my eyes, do no wrong and we warmed to his creamy tone – and chuckled at his welcome touches of humour.
The chorus were splendid across the voice parts, with the tenors a mite underpowered (only seventeen of them, compared with nearly double the number of basses). Where are all the young tenors nowadays? Every choir in the land is crying out for them. The chorus revelled in their thrilling contribution which ends Part 1 (‘The heavens are telling’), ‘The Lord is great’ in Part 2, and to end the work ‘Praise the Lord’; their Artistic director Neville Creed retires at the end of the 2024/2025 season having been their splendid coach for 30 years. He has kept the choir at the top of their game.
Edward Gardner never let the tempi drag, though the work has longueurs such as the lengthy dialogue between Adam and Eve towards the end of Part 4. Mofidian could have lightened up to make this passage more attractive, life with Eve did not visibly seem to him to be one of ‘incessant bliss’. Gardner was in full control, keeping the work bouncing along, yielding a precise and enjoyable performance. At times, I yearned for the introduction of some Roger Norrington humour and the sound of period instruments, particularly woodwind and thwacked timpani. The orchestra was certainly in fine fettle, I highlight the sublime woodwind and the raucous trombones, bassoon and contrabassoon enjoying the humour of introducing the creation of some of the larger animals. The sight of a fortepiano tuner in the interval was a mite worrisome.
The performance was filmed for future broadcast on Marquee TV and recorded for BBC Radio 3 (the broadcast will be on Wednesday 13th March at 7.30pm) and for 30 days after that on BBC Sounds.
John Rhodes