Spokane Symphony Chorale’s performance of Haydn’s ‘Creation’ to push listeners to experience ‘common humanity together’
Depicting the creation of the universe as told through Biblical genesis is a tall task, but the Spokane Symphony (and chorale) look to do just that through music during this weekend’s “Masterworks 8: Let There Be Light!”
Perhaps the greatest masterpiece of masterful composer Franz Joseph Haydn, “The Creation” tells the tale of the beginning of all things within nearly two hours of symphony orchestra and a full chorale (featuring three soloists). Most Spokane Symphony performances have around two to three pieces on the repertoire, but this grandiose behemoth does the job more than enough.
The piece begins with a cacophony of chaos from the strings before erupting into a massive burst of sound from the symphony and chorale that represents the first light of a new universe. “The Creation” explores the six days of genesis from this first light to the worm (showing Haydn’s well-known sense of humor with “slimy music”) to Adam and Eve singing a love duet during the third and final section.
“It ends before the whole apple incident,” said conductor James Lowe, with a laugh. “So, it ends on a very positive note.”
Every year, Lowe looks for a piece that will “really challenge” the Spokane Symphony Chorale, and with “The Creation” being one of the all-time classic chorus works, it only seemed right to finally give the marvelous feat of musical literature a try.
The chorus, specifically the three soloists, essentially act as a “heavenly host” for the audience as they depict what God is doing over the course of the six days. During the first two parts, the soprano, tenor and bass soloists are archangels Gabriel, Uriel and Raphael before the bass and soprano depict Adam and Eve in the third.
Lowe is always impressed by the hard-working volunteers of the chorale, specifically the three soloists Dawn Wolski, Charles Robert Stephens and Brad Bickhardt.
“They sound absolutely wonderful, and it’s always a joy for me to get to work with them,” Lowe said.
Another reason Lowe selected “The Creation” is because of the emotions Haydn is able to convey within the listener.
“Mozart was perfection,” Lowe said. “Haydn is very human.”
Haydn tells the tale of genesis through a lens of hope and humanity above all else. The music is incredibly warm and full, resulting in a sense of raw joy, life and curious youth.
Such a majestic, beautifully lofty piece is slightly different from the usual Spokane Symphony performance featuring multiple songs. Instead, Lowe believes it is the type of piece that acts as more of an experience to be fully immersed within as an audience member.
“It’s an incredibly special thing, and I think that’s something that we always need, this idea of something, some art form, that takes us out of ourselves and puts us into this space where we can experience this common humanity together,” Lowe said.