In a nice touch, recorded birdsong fills the Opera House auditorium, setting the scene for Sydney Philharmonia Choirs’ performance of Joseph Haydn’s greatest work, The Creation.

Since 1798, when audiences first heard the mighty chord that announces the opening Chaos overture, the oratorio has held its place as one of the most successful and supreme choral works of all time. And when Haydn heard it played for the last time he famously pointed upwards and said it was “not from me, it came from above”.

Police had to control the crowds when it was first performed in Vienna and although the excitement may have died down over the ensuing 288 years, it is nevertheless one of the most uplifting experiences in the classical music canon for audience and performers alike.

Haydn wrote it in his late sixties after being impressed by hearing Handel’s oratorios in London. It was published a couple of years later bilingually in German and English.

Sydney Philharmonia Choirs: Haydn’s The Creation. Photo © Keith Saunders

SPC Artistic Director Brett Weymark has chosen the English version, adapted and translated by...