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| Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. Peter Wenzel (1743-1829) |
“The story of the creation,” Joseph Haydn wrote in 1801 “has
always been considered the most sublime and awe-inspiring image for mankind. To
accompany this great work with appropriate music could certainly have no other
result than to heighten these sacred emotions in the listener’s heart, and to
make him highly receptive to the goodness and omnipotence of the Creator.” Attending the Israel Symphony Orchestra Rishon LeZion's
performance of Joseph Haydn's "Creation" on May 16th 2023 at the Tel
Aviv Performing Arts Center was an experiential affair. Joining the orchestra
was the Israeli Vocal Ensemble, whose conductor and music director Yuval
Benozer conducted the performance. Soloists were soprano Tali Ketzef, tenor Ron
Silberstein and baritone Yair Polishook. For the benefit of Hebrew speakers,
actor Eli Gorenstein's readings of passages from Genesis were interspersed
throughout the performance.
During his
first visit to London, Haydn attended one of the great Handel festivals held in
Westminster Abbey and was completely overwhelmed by the experience, the result
of which being that he resolved to write an oratorio himself that would be
worthy of Handel’s supreme examples. Returning
to Vienna, Haydn brought back with him an English oratorio text (now lost) -
"The Creation of the World". Based on that, he set to composing
"Die Schöpfung" (The Creation), a work blending the ideals of the
Enlightenment with those of Romanticism, a work designated to be heard by
people from any religious tradition or of none, by intellectuals and common
people alike. Its three sources
are Genesis, the Biblical book of Psalms and John Milton's "Paradise Lost". Haydn had shown the English libretto to
Baron Gottfried van Swieten, a central figure in Vienna's musical and literary
(not to mention political) circles. Swieten set out to prepare an oratorio text
in German for Haydn; how much of the original English libretto was used is open
to conjecture. Intending the new work to be presented in London as well as in
Vienna, Haydn’s idea was that it should be sung in either German or
English. When the initial edition appeared in print in 1800, it was the
first choral work ever to be published with the text appearing in two
languages. The story is told by three angels: Gabriel (soprano), Uriel (tenor)
and Raphael (bass). The chorus mostly represents the heavenly host, commenting
on the action and praising God for his acts of creation. Haydn uses what, for
his day, was a rather large orchestra: The results were beyond anything he
could have imagined. From the very start, "The Creation" was an
enormous success, remaining one of the cornerstones of choral repertoire. A
person present at one of the first performances in 1798 wrote the following:
"No one, not even Baron van Swieten, had seen the page of the score
wherein the creation of light is portrayed...and in that moment when light
broke forth for the first time, one would have said that light-rays darted from
the composer’s blazing eyes. The enchantment of the electrified Viennese was so
profound that the performers could not proceed for some minutes."
Maestro Benozer's concept of the work felt right throughout, with tempos
judiciously chosen and forces sizable (or powerful) enough to evoke the effect
of the work's earliest performances, as true to the composer's intent. Haydn’s
famous moments were vividly conveyed as Benozer invited soloists, chorus
and orchestra to revel in the work's sublimely beautiful word painting,
both vocal and instrumental, its startling dramatic gestures and bold
orchestral colours. From the very outset, the audience was connected and
enthused as the oratorio.was thrillingly brought to life, with Haydn’s
astonishing depiction of the Genesis creation story emerging with fine
articulacy and richly daring dynamic contrasts.
The success of any performance of "Creation" hinges much on
the soloists, to whom: Haydn has allotted some superb, albeit demanding
sections. As Uriel, Ron Silberstein's performance, never oversung, came across as clear, controlled and expressive, his warm timbre conveying the
brightness inherent in several of the oratorio texts – as he, for example,
depicted a "brilliant sunrise, then a languid
moonrise" (In splendour bright is rising now). Tali
Ketzef (Gabriel, Eve), contending well with the large orchestral and choral
forces, (exercising a touch too much vibrato for my taste) gave a
performance that was eager and fresh, one highlight for me being her delicate,
evocatively cooing description of the eagle, the lark, the dove and the
nightingale in "On mighty wings the eagle proudly soars aloft",
joined- and enhanced by the flute (Margalit Gafni). As Raphael (also Adam),
baritone Yair Polishook's profound scrutiny of texts and dramatic instinct,
served by his fine diction and imposing, majestic vocal delivery, made for
a memorable and gripping performance, also with some lovely lyrical moments. In
"At once Earth opens her womb", he matched his own fantasy with
Haydn's gentle sense of humour to present the line-up of newly-created
creatures (each with musical illustration) - the lion, tiger, stag, horse,
cattle, sheep, insects and even worms - commencing the aria in Hebrew, then moving
back into English. Once again, the Israeli Vocal Ensemble gave a performance
that was of true intonation, precise, polished, rich in colour and dynamic
contrast, replete with moments both powerful and fragile. The Rishon LeZion
Orchestra complemented the work's dramatic- and musical demands, also offering
some splendid orchestral interludes. Eli Gorenstein's rendition of the
relevant Biblical passages was articulate, communicative and presented with a
touch of naivete and humour.
From the work's opening description of chaos, evoked by harmonic aimlessness, set within the context of C minor, with fragments of melodies going nowhere in boundless primordial disorder through the darkness, prior to when we hear God’s words uttered by the angel Raphael pronouncing the first words of the Old Testament, from the creation of light, through the vivid series of tableaux, to Adam and Eve’s love duet, Haydn's "Creation" offers depictions of the most dazzling scenes of unspoilt nature - of birds, flora and beasts - to culminate in soaring choruses celebrating the creation of the world in life-affirming sounds. The giant final chorus of praise is preceded by Uriel making just a passing reference to the next chapter in the story: - the entrance of sin into this perfect world. The three angels sing solo episodes in this movement but they are joined by an alto soloist for four bars (here, a member of the Israeli Vocal Ensemble) to make up a solo quartet. Haydn was a deeply religious man. His devotion, however, was not of the gloomy, suffering kind, but rather cheerful and reconciled, a profound statement of an optimistic and assured faith and of a belief in music's ability to edify, uplift, and inspire the listener. Indeed, "The Creation" is a work larger than life!
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| Yuval Benozer (agfestival.co.il) |
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