Aylesbury Choral Society performs Haydn’s ‘joyous and uplifting’ masterpiece The Creation

Aylesbury Choral Society will be joined by the Aylesbury Sinfonia for a performance of Haydn’s famous Creation on Saturday, April 1, at 7.30pm at St Mary’s Church.

Choir spokesman John Chantler said: “Haydn’s Creation is a masterpiece from a composer at his peak, resurrecting the oratorio tradition and inspiring his successors to produce other strong musical dramas.”

The work, sung in English, tells the Biblical story of the six days of the creation, with the soloists, named as the archangels, telling the story and the chorus praising God’s work.

In the last section, Adam and Eve extol the virtues of the world they have been given, backed up by lively choruses.

John added: “For those who think classical music is boring, this is the proof that it can be tuneful, joyous, uplifting and, most importantly, accessible.”

The choir will be supported by three talented professional soloists – soprano Jennifer Clark as Gabriel, tenor Rhodri Jones as Uriel and baritone Simon Thorpe as Raphael.

The work will be conducted by the choir’s musical director Jeff Stewart, who is renowned for inspiring passionate performances.

Aylesbury Choral Society was founded in 1932 by local man Charles Pope, and its first president was the Aylesbury-born composer Rutland Boughton (1878-1960)..Starting out with 11 members, after a very successful appearance at the Buckingham Festival the society started to grow, developing into a well-established choral society that had 90 members before the Covid pandemic. It currently has around 35 members and is gradually expanding again.

For more information visit the Aylesbury Choral Society website.