Champlain Valley Oratorio Society and SUNY Plattsburgh Choral Union Present Haydn's The Creation April 1

One of Haydn's greatest works for chorus and orchestra, The Creation , will be sung in English, using a translation by Robert Shaw that narrates the Biblical story of creation. The audience will be treated to a dramatic narration with beautiful choral and orchestral writing for which Haydn is well known. 

The work features a full orchestra and five soloists: three of the five soloists take the role of archangels, who sing the Biblical narrative in the form of dramatic recitatives and arias. In the concluding part of the oratorio, two soloists appear as Adam and Eve. Throughout the entire oratorio, the chorus comments on each of the seven days of creation.

Many of the soloists featured during the concert hail from the North Country. Tanner Knight, a tenor from Keeseville and a graduate of the Crane School of Music in Potsdam who is completing a master's degree at the University of Maryland, was one of 16 national finalists in the Metropolitan Opera National Council Vocal Competition. Knight will sing the part of archangel Uriel. Thomas McNichols, a bass from Plattsburgh and a graduate of SUNY Plattsburgh and Peabody Conservatory of Music at Johns Hopkins University, will sing the part of archangel Raphael. Soprano Colleen Daly, a graduate of the University of Maryland master's program, will perform the role of archangel Gabriel. Soprano Jessica Loughman, a sophomore at SUNY Plattsburgh, will sing the part of Eve, and baritone Darrell Illenberg, a senior at the Crane School of Music, sings the role of Adam.

Dr. William Pfaff, assistant professor of music at SUNY Plattsburgh, said, "In essence, The Creation begins before the beginning, before the beginning of Genesis itself. The overture, 'Representation of Chaos,' conveys darkness and the void. These are represented by music in C minor. It is not until the entrance of Raphael that the story begins to be told. 'In the beginning God made heaven and the earth; And the earth was without form and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep.' The first 'choral response' of the oratorio is designed to convey an exact moment. 'And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. And God said: Let there be light, and there was light.' When the chorus sings 'light' for the second time, Haydn switches to C major and has the arrival coincide with the entrance of the full orchestra (fortissimo). At this moment, The Creation begins."

Tickets are available through CVOS members or Peacock Music. Tickets are $15 for general admission; $12 for seniors and students; and $5 for children under 12. SUNY Plattsburgh students can purchase tickets at a reduced Student Association price at the Angell College Center Desk until Friday, March 31 at 5 p.m.

For more information, contact the SUNY Plattsburgh Music Department at 518-564-2180.
 
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