Orchestre des Champs-Elysées & Collegium Vocale Gent . Philippe Herreweghe

During his stay in London in 1790, Haydn came into remarkably close contact with the oratorios of Handel. So the story goes, he received an oratorio libretto in London that was originally meant for Handel. This libretto was later reworked by Baron Gottfried van Swieten and became 'Die Schöpfung'. Van Swieten was a fervent admirer of Handel and Haydn and played a substantial in the creation of Haydn's grand oratorio. While working on 'Die Schöpfung' Haydn felt increasingly emotionally drawn to the themes it dealt with. In the winter of 1798, he even hired an apartment in the centre of Vienna in order to continuously consult with Van Swieten. The result of this unique cooperation is an astoundingly strong oratorio, with great musical variation, so that the whole of Viennese classical knowledge is synthesized in the one and a half hours the piece lasts. Haydn's fears that the Viennese would be disenchanted with his new work were unfounded. Within a year after its triumphant première at the Schwarzenberger Palace, the piece had effortlessly conquered Europe.