To call this a performance of Haydn's The Creation, his setting of portions of The Book of Genesis and Paradise Lost, would be a mistake. Though the performers are predominantly English, this is a performance of Haydn's Die Schöpfung, his setting of portions of The Book of Genesis and Paradise Lost translated into German by Gottfried van Swieten. But while this performance is thus not strictly comparable in a literary sense to previous recordings of the work in English, it is in every way comparable and even superior to nearly every previous recording of the work in any language. Conductor
John Eliot Gardiner's unique combination of vigor, color, and energy coupled with his unfailing sense of the spiritual content of the music makes the most of Haydn's magnificent score. His soloists are wonderfully suited for their parts, from the angelic
Sylvia McNair as Gabriel to the robust
Rodney Gilfry as Adam, and his handpicked
Monteverdi Choir and
English Baroque Soloists are enthusiastic and dedicated in their roles as the heavens, the earth, and the angelic host. Recorded in Archiv's exceptionally vivid 4D digital sound, this recording belongs on the shelf with the best of the other Creations and Schöpfungen.