Die Schöpfung

In the organizer's words:

There is hardly a work in music history that so joyfully praises the creation of something new, celebrates the overcoming of something old and past, and awakens curiosity for unexpected discoveries and experiences: with his groundbreaking oratorio "The Creation", Joseph Haydn created a song of praise for the creation of the world. Joseph Haydn began work on "The Creation" after resigning from his position as court conductor to Prince Esterházy. During his stays in London, he attended performances of George Frideric Handel's oratorios, in which hundreds of performers enthralled audiences of all social classes with their choral singing in the local language. Fascinated by their charisma, Haydn decided to compose something similar in his home country. Haydn chose John Milton's "Paradise Lost" and Genesis from the Bible as a model. According to his own statement, the composition was a fundamental religious experience for Haydn - himself deeply rooted in Catholicism. The public premiere took place on March 19, 1799 with great success in the old Burgtheater in Vienna. The work hit like few others before it and became the greatest triumph of Haydn's career. At a time when the Napoleonic Wars were raging in Europe, the "Creation" also stood for the vision of the new humanism, as a musical symbol of the Age of Enlightenment. At the same time, hardly any other work shows so clearly how the world view has changed over the past 200 years. Where is humanity today? Who decides on the categories of good and evil, on the status of men and women? Who writes history and how does history continue? British director Melly Still, who is making her German debut at the Cologne Opera, takes a modern and critical look at the creation myth and brings the process of storytelling to the fore in a visually stunning way.