Haydnâs Creation, the culmination of his lifeâs work, in a legendary 1986 performance conducted by Leonard Bernstein in the exquisite Baroque splendor of the Benedictine Abbey of Ottobeuren, Bavaria, now available on DVD for the first time. This spectacular performance also includes Bernsteinâs spoken introduction to the performance âalways an invaluable addition to any concert. This work, considered by many to be Haydnâs masterpiece, depicts the creation of the world as inspired by the texts of Genesis, the Book of Psalms and Miltonâs Paradise Lost. Though deeply religious in conception, the oratorio gives a physical sense of the immensity of nature and the worldâs creation. âThe Creation gives us time to rememberâand rejoice inâ the purity and grace and fortitude of Nature, to restore our souls, to recover our moral strength, and to rediscover our power to praiseââLeonard Bernstein
