GleamBlog

In its performance of the Haydn oratorio “The Creation” on Sunday at the Washington National Cathedral, the Cathedral Choral Society deftly tapped into the work’s well of joyful, light-filled writing. A strikingly scored amalgam of Handelian grandeur, Beethoven-worthy tone-painting and Haydn’s own effervescent way with rhythm and melody, this setting of texts from Genesis and “Paradise Lost” was a high-water mark of choral writing at the close of the 18th century.

Conductor J. Reilly Lewis emphasized the open-hearted humanity of the music, molding phrases with warmth and historically informed clarity of texture. It’s questionable whether the interplay of vibrato-less bowing and subtle wind playing registered at the back of the nave, but it’s a good bet that when Lewis unleashed the full force of the chorus, orchestra and soloists, their exuberantly pealing sound could be enjoyed in every corner. The chorus displayed its customary fine blend and purity of tone, even if the composer’s contrapuntal writing didn’t stand a chance against the cathedral’s cloud of reverberation.

Much of the expressive power of “The Creation” rests with the soloists, and the three here were well chosen. The luminous shimmer, bright finish and clarion high notes of soprano Danielle Talamantes brought pure sunshine to everything she sang. And Kenneth Kellogg’s attractively grainy, deep-seated bass and Peter Scott Drackley’s throaty, forthright tenor conjured vivid character in their arias.

Banno is a freelance writer.

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