Ealing Choral Society returns to the Cadogan Hall, Sloane Square on March 15 for a performance of Joseph Haydn’s choral masterpiece, The Creation. Sung in English, The Creation is a three-part oratorio celebrating the creation of the world as depicted in the Biblical book of Genesis. Complete with a cast of characters–tigers, whales, leaping stags, starry nights, Adam & Eve–and an almost cinematic orchestral score, the work plays out as a musical drama, changing landscapes and scenes summoned one after the other before the audience’s eyes.

Inspired in part by Handel’s Messiah, The Creation is Haydn’s crowning masterpiece, a joyful balm in times of trouble. A terrifying God is nowhere to be found in this optimistic oratorio, which Haydn hoped would serve as a source of comfort to those burdened by cares. The prevailing mood is exuberant, radiant, and delights in God’s works. Precisely this spirit of unbounded joy and celebration has helped The Creation to endure throughout the years, a spiritual masterpiece for a secular age.

Join Ealing Choral Society, City of London Sinfonia, soprano Camilla Harris, tenor Andrew Irwin, bass Michael Ronan and conductor Peter Asprey at the Cadogan Hall for a delightful evening of choral fireworks. Seats from £12 at the Cadogan Hall box office.