Virgin Classics' first recording of Haydn's grand, but characteristically charming oratorio Die Schöpfung (The Creation) is in the hands of William Christie. A supreme interpreter of the Baroque repertoire, he here takes on a landmark of the Classical era, having conducted Haydn's later oratorio Die Jahreszeiten (The Seasons) in 2002.

As Nicholas Mathew says in the notes for the recording: 'Perhaps Haydn's greatest achievement in The Creation is to have produced a musical world that equals rather than diminishes its exalted subject, a musical creation that can embrace at once the mysterious voice of the divine, domestic human intimacy, and even the humble world of the smallest living creature.'

Christie and Les Arts Florissants performed the work around France and in Athens in July 2007. Their appearance at the festival of Aix-en-Provence elicited the following responses from the media: 'A masterly interpretation... a highly-nuanced reading that exalted the spirit... The orchestral colours are ideal... and the precision of the chorus is a well-known quantity.' (La Provence); 'a great deal of poetry, freshness and authority... the soloists were excellent... and the chorus showed that it is one of the best in the world.' (Marseille L'Hebdo)

The three archangels are sung by Genia Kühmeier, a Pamina of note, Toby Spence. who excels in a repertoire that ranges from French Baroque to Britten, and Dietrich Henschel, one of today's most intense interpreters of lieder. Adam and Eve are the appropriately fresh-voiced Sophie Karthäuser and Markus Werba.