Another anniversary year, and this time it’s the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, now in its 40th. Early music specialist Václav Luks was at the helm, bursting with energy from the off. And what better than Haydn’s monumental Die Schöpfung (The Creation) to show off the orchestra’s range of colour and technical expertise, joined by their own professional choir and a strong solo line-up.
There’s no doubt that Haydn’s experience of seeing Handel’s Messiah and Israel in Egypt performed with massive forces in London influenced The Creation. His use of the chorus for the big moments, orchestral word-painting and storytelling are key here, but it is also highly operatic. The Part 3 scenes of Adam and Eve are opera in all but name, but also the sheer scale of creation, from the stars right down to earthworms, immediately conjure up possibilities for ambitious set design, taking us right back, pre-Handel, to the 16th-century Italian intermedii.
From the opening rumbling strings, joined by agile bassoon triplets, Luks created perfect mystery in the strange unresolved cadences. The brass took a while to settle in, but the woodwinds immediately added fluid piquancy to the texture. Bass-baritone Krešimir Stražanac (Raphael) entered with a dramatic, covered tone, which occasionally hampered clarity, although he opened up as the evening progressed. The choir responded with a controlled pianissimo, giving the ‘shock’ of the forte arrival of “Licht!” an appropriately impressive impact.
Tenor Nick Pritchard (Uriel) was the most directly communicative of the soloists, with commanding recitative, and a beautifully refined “Mit Würd’ und Hoheit angetan”, with delicate flute filigree. Soprano Robin Johannsen (Gabriel and Eve) was a late change to the line-up, but her bright coloratura and fluttering tone were a delight, and her duets with Stražanac (now Adam) were sensitively characterised, as was his slightly mischievous Figaro-esque delivery.
All of the orchestral principals deserve praise for their dexterity and characterful solos, including incredibly nimble bassoonist Nate Helgeson and smoothly lyrical clarinettist Katherine Spencer. Also worthy of mention is Satoko Doi-Luck on fortepiano, with delicate tinkling ‘immortal harps’, and sensitive support in the pared-down recitatives. And we cannot omit the glorious rasping of contrabassoon Chris Rawley.
Amateur choral performances of The Creation (usually in English here) are relatively common, with a large chorus to rise above an orchestra. This can create an impressive sound, but it can also make for a bit of a juggernaut to try and steer through the faster fugal passages. Professional performances are rarer, and here, the 26-strong Choir of the Age of Enlightenment, sang with precision and strength, in the most part projecting well over the orchestra. But what was most impressive was their ability to work at speed, especially some of Luks’ most enthusiastic tempi. The fugal entries in “Stimmt an sie Saiten” were as fast as they could be without losing definition, precision that was still not lost on the semiquaver runs at the end of the chorus. For the final chorus, the soloists joined the chorus at the back of the stage, and the solo quartet’s Amen (joined by alto Lara Rebekah Harvey from the choir) rang out from within the choral texture. This was a slightly high risk strategy, and their second set was on the edge of coming adrift, but the overall effect contributed to an exhilarating conclusion.
Luks, the OAE, choir and soloists certainly brought the full range of Haydn’s ambitious masterpiece to life, while also demonstrating their ability to bring colour and nuance to the fore, detail that even one very familiar with the work heard afresh.
This review has been updated to correct the name of the principal bassoonist, Nate Helgeson flying in at short notice to replace an indisposed Phillip Turbett.
