A chorus of 100 voices and a 30-piece orchestra will join forces to perform Haydn’s masterpiece, The Creation, on Saturday, June 27 at 7 p.m. in the Parish Hall of Most Holy Trinity Church on Buell Lane in East Hampton. The Choral Society of the Hamptons will be joined by The Greenwich Village Chamber Singers, the South Fork Chamber Orchestra, and soloists Alison Davy, soprano, Nils Neubert, tenor, Dominic Inferrera, baritone, and Enrico Lagasca, bass, all led by music director Mark Mangini.
Immediately following the concert, the Choral Society will host a benefit dinner at the newly-opened Osteria Salina in Wainscott.
Brimming with the composer’s characteristic optimism, The Creation is Franz Joseph Haydn’s musical representation of the creation of the world as described in the Book of Genesis and Milton’s “Paradise Lost.” The sun, moon, seas, plants, animals, and humankind are evoked in Haydn’s joyous musical description of the universe. Influenced by Handel’s oratorios, which he heard when visiting England, he conceived the work in both English and German. The Choral Society will perform a traditional English version with small changes to modernize the language. With the exception of Handel’s Messiah, The Creation is the most frequently performed oratorio. It is the crowning achievement of Haydn’s career.
Mr. Mangini, the music director of the Choral Society, has been one of New York’s most active choral conductors for over 30 years and is a founder and Music Director of The Greenwich Village Chamber Singers. His repertoire ranges from the pre-Bach era with historical instruments through numerous commissions of contemporary works. The joint performances he has led with the Choral Society and The Greenwich Village Chamber Singers include the 2007 Lincoln Center performance with the Brooklyn Philharmonic of Lukas Foss’ monumental secular cantata, The Prairie.
Tickets to the Choral Society of the Hamptons’ performance of “The Creation” are $30 in advance; $35 at the door. Youth tickets are $10 in advance; $15 at the door. Preferred seating is $75. Dinner at Osteria Salina, including Channing Daughters wine, are $300 and include preferred seating at the concert. For more information, call (631) 204-9402 or visit choralsocietyofthehamptons.org.
