UNDOUBTEDLY, The Creation reflects the mind of its maker. Haydn, then aged 65, injected much of his own humour and playfulness into what must be the least sacred of all the great oratorios.

Who else would have dared give Adam and Eve an extended love-duet?

An uninhibited approach suits the piece best. On Saturday, the 150 voices and orchestra of the YMS, under Philip Moore, were cautious at first. The Representation Of Chaos, effectively the overture, hung together tentatively. The choir delivered a fairish burst on light, but nothing like the explosion we had on power in Part 3.

The three soloists were well-balanced, taking solo spotlights effectively while blending smoothly in ensemble. Rebecca Outram's soprano was at its most thrilling when she kept her tone straight. With vibrato added, she tended to lose focus. Though excitable in his narratives, Stephen Brown brought an incisive tenor to his arias. The smile in Adam Green's pleasing baritone best communicated the work's wit.

The choir's altos enjoyed a happy night. But the sopranos took time to convert their early woolliness into something distinct and sharp-edged. The gentlemen, numerically inferior, battled bravely.

Source: www.thisisyork.co.uk
Reprinted by kind permission of the York & County Press