When Joseph Haydn’s oratorio The Creation premiered in 1798, the excitement was so intense that authorities reportedly had to control crowds eager to hear it. More than two centuries later, Maestro Toshiyuki Shimada is hoping for enthusiasm—but not quite that level of chaos—as the Orchestra of the Southern Finger Lakes prepares its own performance.
“I will hope not really,” Shimada said with a laugh when asked whether Elmira audiences might storm the doors. “It’s like The Rite of Spring. Yeah, I expect that not to happen—and it’ll be a peaceful event, I hope.”
The ambitious production has been more than a year in the making. Shimada explained that the scale of the work required careful planning and collaboration among multiple ensembles. “It was planned a year ago. I just wanted to do this piece, so I said, ‘Let’s do it,’” he said. “Because of the size of the chorus it requires, we are augmenting—combining with another chorus in the Elmira area, the Cantata Singers and the Chorus of the Southern Finger Lakes.”
Even with those forces combined, space constraints at the church mean the ensemble will still be smaller than what Haydn himself may have had at the premiere. “We couldn’t have the size of the chorus Haydn had,” Shimada noted, “which I hear was an enormous chorus.”
The oratorio reflects Haydn’s exposure to the works of George Frideric Handel during his visits to England. “He especially was taken by the tone painting—how to describe events in music,” Shimada said. “He was really taken by Israel in Egypt, and that’s what he was exploring in The Creation.”
That vivid musical storytelling includes one of the most famous moments in all of classical music. “Everybody’s favorite is ‘Let there be light,’” Shimada said. “What a fabulous—so mystical—and then that fortissimo chord happens, and there is light. What a great tone painting that is.”
The performance will feature a roster of accomplished soloists, many with local ties. “We have wonderful soloists locally, from Ithaca College professors,” Shimada said. “Rachel Schutz, soprano, and bass Mark Webster—I hear he’s getting around singing everywhere nowadays. And tenor Jonathan Boyd, who is originally from Corning and now lives in New York after making a name for himself in Europe.”
Unlike Handel’s Messiah, the soloists in The Creation take on distinct roles. “In the first two parts, there are three angels,” Shimada explained. “Raphael, sung by bass; Gabriel, soprano; and Uriel, tenor. Then in the third part, Adam and Eve appear, sung by soprano and bass. That’s how the piece is structured.”
The libretto itself has an unusual history, originating in England but later adapted in Austria with text drawn in part from the King James Bible. “The English words do not quite fit into the music sometimes—it can be a little awkward,” Shimada acknowledged. “But I think it should be in English. This work has a lot of Handel’s Messiah spirit in it.”
Despite any linguistic challenges, The Creation was a triumph in Haydn’s lifetime, performed widely across Europe and even in America. Shimada recalled a particularly moving moment from the composer’s final public appearance. “At his last performance in 1808, people were going crazy—applauding and shouting ‘Bravo,’” he said. “And at the end, he pointed upward and said, ‘Everything comes from up there.’ It was very touching. He really honored God that way.”
The Orchestra of the Southern Finger Lakes and Chorus, joined by the Cantata Singers, will perform Haydn’s The Creation on Saturday, May 2, at 7 p.m. at Park Church. For more information, visit Orchestra of the Southern Finger Lakes at https://osfl.org.