Creation Story Coming to Life Through Music at Sydney Opera House

The creation story is one often imagined through events: the introduction of light, humanity, earth and water. Classical composer Joseph Haydn imagined it through music, and next month the Sydney Philharmonia Choirs return to the Opera House to present Haydn’s masterpiece, The Creation.

More than two centuries after it was written, The Creation by is recognised as the pinnacle of Haydn’s career, and of his love for describing the world through music.

“It starts with a great big unison note in the orchestra,” Conductor Brett Weymark told Hope 103.2.

“Which to my mind, is his impression of either God creating the universe or the Big Bang – whichever you decide to subscribe to – and then you get this incredible description of chaos [through] this harmonically complex music that then resolves itself into the very first line from Genesis.”

While Haydn had already built an impressive catalogue of work, including more than 100 symphonies, dozens of string quartets, masses and operas, Brett believes The Creation defined the success of his career.

“It was this piece that absolutely sort of crowned his achievement as a composer at the age of 60,” Brett said.

“In many ways, it’s a piece that just revels in the beauty and the complexity and the ingenuity of the natural world, as described by the creation.”

Brett will lead a choir of some 130 voices, alongside three outstanding stars of the Australian opera stage: soprano Celeste Lazarenko as Gabriel and Eve, tenor Andrew Goodwin as Uriel, and baritone Michael Lampard as Raphael and Adam.

“A lot of the joy [in conducting] is actually exploring what the text means, how we inflect the text, finding the right vowel,” Brett said.

“You’ve got to be theatrical; you have to be storytelling. You have to convey the meaning of these words to the audience.”

As performance time approaches, however, Brett admits the atmosphere backstage is often lighter than people might expect.

“I’m terrible, actually. I just tell really bad dad jokes,” Brett said.

“What’s about to happen on stage is life itself. That’s where I’m at my most alive when I’m on stage in front of an orchestra and a chorus.”

Rather than nerves, he said there is a shared anticipation among performers.

“There’s a real sense of, ‘Let’s go out there and tell this story,’” Brett said.

Haydn’s Creation will be at the Sydney Opera House July 4.

Listen to the full conversation with Brett Weymark in the player above.

Feature image: Supplied