140 years of the Konzerthaus Stettin

With this concert we would like to celebrate the 140th. anniversary of the inauguration of the Konzerthaus in Szczecin, which was officially opened on October 18, 1884. It stood exactly where the Philharmonic stands today. The program that evening could not have been accidental. We know from historical sources that the Szczecin music lovers of that time listened to Haydn's great oratorio The Creation during the opening concert of the impressive Konzerthaus building, and it is this monumental piece that will hear again this year, just like 140 years ago in the very same place in Szczecin. It will not only be a great musical and historical event, but also a highly symbolic one. Although the shape of the modern Philharmonic in Szczecin is synonymous with modernity and the future, its foundations reach deep into history, making it the heir and continuator of the musical traditions of our city. The musical heart of Szczecin has been beating here for 140 years: at 48 Małopolska Street.

Joseph Haydn modestly wrote in one of his letters, Perhaps my music will become a source where a person, bowed under the weight of worries, will find a moment of peace and respite. However, it became something much more significant. During the public premiere of The Creation in March 1799, so many people wanted to hear Haydn's new oratorio at the Burgtheater in Vienna that they literally fought for every seat. Although absolute silence reigned in the audience during the concert, the hall was filled with thunderous applause when the last note sounded. The cheering crowd called the then-elderly Haydn to the stage multiple times. Tickets for subsequent concerts featuring The Creation were sold out in the blink of an eye, breaking all sales records.

The inspiration for writing the piece came from Haydn's stay in London, where he encountered Handel's monumental compositions. He desired to create an oratorio of comparable size written for a mighty choir, orchestra, and soloists. As a very religious man, he turned to the story of the world's creation as told in the biblical Book of Genesis. The oratorio thus opens with an incredibly moving musical depiction of chaos, and the following sections lead the listener through the successive acts of divine creation until the appearance of the first humans – Adam and Eve. For Haydn, The Creation was a confession of faith and a summary of his compositional achievements.

Excerpt from Haydn's The Creation performed by Elsa Dreisig (soprano), Mark Padmore (tenor), Florian Boesch (baritone), the Rundfunkchor Berlin and the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Simon Rattle: