Franz Joseph Haydn: The Creation

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Image courtesy of L'Auditori

Until his travels to London in the 1790s, Franz Joseph Haydn had not moved far from the palace of Esterháza, where he worked for the Esterházy family. Even so, his works had been performed all over Europe and he was the most famous composer of his time.

In the British capital he was received with great honors, attaining enormous success. There he premiered his final symphonies, but also discovered the work of a great musician, revered and frequently performed in London, despite being a composer from the past.

Fascinated by Georg Friedrich Händel’s The Messiah, Haydn began to compose The Creation. It was based on a libretto by Baron Gottfried von Swieten, an influential nobleman and patron of artists such as Mozart and Haydn himself. The oratorio premiered with even greater success than he had experienced in London and Haydn’s music enjoyed a new wave of popularity throughout the continent.

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