Reading Haydn Choir - The Creation - 55th Anniversary Concert
Schedule
Sat, 15 Nov, 2025 at 07:30 pm
UTC+00:00Location
St Joseph's College | Reading, EN
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Our Autumn concert is on November 15th, 7.30pm, at St. Joseph's College, Reading RG1 5JTTickets available online at https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/reading-haydn-choir ; or send an email to [email protected]:
Adults: £16 (£1 off advance sales)
Under 19 years: £5
Five years ago, we planned to hold our 50th Anniversary Concert with a performance of Haydn's great oratorio: The Creation.
However, because of the COVID 19 outbreak, we were forced to cancel at the last minute.
We are delighted, therefore, to announce our 55th Anniversary Concert which, not surprisingly, features - Haydn's oratorio: The Creation. At the same time, we are celebrating the 35th year of service by both our conductor, Mandy Kesel and our accompanist, Ian Westley. So put the date and place in your diary - it's going to be a fantastic event!
‘The Creation’ by Joseph Haydn was composed in the years 1797 and 1798 and remains to this day one of his most popular works. It is noted particularly for the chorus ‘The Heavens are Telling’.
Haydn was inspired to write a large oratorio during his visits to England in 1791 -1792 and 1794 -1795 when, alongside his close friend English music historian Charles Burney, he heard oratorios of George Frederick Handel performed by large companies of musicians. The text for ‘The Creation’ is taken from Genesis, the Book of Psalms and John Milton’s ‘Paradise Lost’. The oratorio was first performed in Vienna in 1798 and received its London premiere at Covent Garden in 1800.
The last performance Haydn attended was on 27th March 1808, just a year before he died: the aged and ill Haydn was carried in with great honour on an armchair. According to one account, the audience broke into spontaneous applause at the coming of "light" in the first chorus and Haydn, in a typical gesture, weakly pointed upwards and said: "Not from me - everything comes from up there!"
We welcome professional instrumentalists along with three excellent soloists and we are sure this will be an inspiring performance for performers and audience alike.
We acknowledge the generous financial support of The Earley Charity to this concert.
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Where is it happening?
St Joseph's College, Upper Redlands Road,Reading, England, United KingdomEvent Location & Nearby Stays:
