Haydn’s The Creation, first performed in 1798, is one of the great choral works of the Classical period. Inspired by the biblical accounts of the creation of the world, together with Milton’s Paradise Lost, Haydn’s oratorio moves from the primordial darkness to the creation of light, the natural world and, finally, humanity. Its three-part structure combines solo arias and recitatives with choruses of remarkable variety, from the dramatic opening to the celebrated The Heavens are Telling. Haydn’s vivid orchestral writing gives musical form to storms, sunrise, the changing seasons and the animal kingdom, while the final section celebrates Adam and Eve and the harmony of the newly created world.