CSU Chamber Choir, Concert Choir, & Chamber Orchestra

The Colorado State University Choirs and Chamber Orchestra present Haydn’s The Creation in concert on Thursday, March 6 & Friday, March 7 at 7:30 p.m. in the Griffin Concert Hall at the University Center for the Arts, located at 1400 Remington St.

Tickets are $7 for CSU students, $1 for youth (under 18), and $12 for the public.

The Story

Haydn’s oratorio, The Creation, is one of the great masterpieces of the choral/orchestral repertoire. The piece blends Baroque elements from Handel’s oratorio tradition with Classical orchestral forms and structure, and foreshadows nineteenth century romanticism, especially with the opening depiction of chaos.

Dramatizing the story from Genesis, The Creation musically represents the six days of creation and the elements created upon each day. Structured in three parts, the piece is scored for soprano, tenor, and bass soloists along with a four part chorus and a symphonic orchestra. The three soloists represent angels who narrate and comment on the successive six days of creation: Gabriel (soprano), Uriel (tenor), and Raphael (bass).

The History

Austrian composer Joseph Haydn was one of the most prolific and prominent composers of the Classical period. He was inspired to write a large oratorio during his visits to England in 1791–1792 and 1794–1795. The Creation was then completed between the years of 1796 and 1798.

This piece has been recognized as one of the most iconic compositions ever written as it pulls from not only the Biblical book of Genesis but also the book of Psalms, as well as John Milton's epic Paradise Lost.

The three soloists narrate from these texts but the orchestra also often plays alone, notably in the many episodes of word painting that Haydn is known for: the appearance of the sun, the creation of various beasts, and above all in the overture, the famous depiction of the chaos before the creation.

About Wes Kenney

Wes Kenney is now in his eleventh year as Professor of Music and Director of Orchestras at Colorado State University. He conducts the CSU Symphony and Chamber Orchestra as well as CSU Opera productions and teaches graduate conducting. Mr. Kenney has led the orchestra to many new milestones, including first ever at CSU performances of Mahler symphonies No. 1 and 5, two Strauss tone poems, and next April the Bartok Concerto for Orchestra. Last April he was named Music Director of the Denver Young Artists Orchestra, the premiere youth orchestra in Colorado and will take that orchestra on a European tour in June 2014.

The University Center for the Arts at Colorado State University provides an enriched venue in which the study and practice of Art, Dance, Music and Theatre are nurtured and sustained by building the skills and knowledge needed by future generations of arts professionals to become contributors to the essential vitality of our culture and society. During the 2013-2014 season, the UCA celebrates its fifth anniversary and features several celebratory events that highlight connecting our campus and community with impactful arts.

For more information, visit UCA.Colostate.edu.