Review Roundup: THE CREATION, Part Of Mostly Mozart At Lincoln Center

The radically inventive Catalonian theater collective Fura dels Baus transforms Haydn's Enlightenment-era oratorio into an immersive theatrical experience in THE CREATION at Lincoln Center. Including visual pyrotechnics, three dozen large helium balloons, a 20-foot-tall crane, and a 250-gallon water tank, the work touches upon subjects from philosophy to genetics. Laurence Equilbey conducts Insula Orchestra, a period-instrument ensemble, along with three daring soloists and the accentus choir, who enact this musically and visually stunning portrayal of the emergence of life coupled with the continued presence of original sin. The concert is sung in German with English supertitles

Avant-garde Catalan theater collective La Fura dels Baus brings its "freewheeling blend of audiovisual wizardry, acrobatics, and puppetry" (Guardian, U.K) to Haydn's famous oratorio. A relentless stream of imagery, text, and stage pageantry touching on everything from philosophy and physics to DNA research and refugees transforms the Enlightenment-era masterpiece into an immersive theatrical experience. A sublime musical performance by the period-instrument Insula Orchestra, vocal ensemble accentus, and a cast of intrepid soloists, led by visionary conductor Laurence Equilbey, anchors this astonishing, maximalist production that explodes all notions of who we are and where we came from.

For tickets and more visit lincolncenter.org/show/the-creation.

Let's see what the critics have to say!

Heidi Waleson, Wall Street Journal: The angels' crumpled, diaphanous costumes featured tiny blinking lights; other light came from images on the digital tablets carried by the choristers. The tablets allowed for some ingenious effects-at one point, they appeared to fill with the milk dripping from cow udders on the larger screens, which the choristers then appeared to drink. But for the most part, the production told a parallel, often inscrutable, story (which included migrants crawling through barbed wire). Its gloomy darkness had little bearing on the jubilant, expansive depictions of verdant hills, majestic forests, tawny lions, and the like found in "The Creation" itself.

Anthony Tommasini, New York Times: The tenor Robin Tritschler's clear, strong voice lent authority to his portrayal of the angel Uriel. Mr. Tatzl made a magisterial Raphael and, in the final part, a take-charge Adam. The soprano Christina Landshamer, as the angel Gabriel, brought a luscious voice to Haydn's beguiling arias, often while being suspended by cables hooked to a mechanical lift that dominated the stage. As Eve, she had to affirm that her adored Adam's will was now also her will. The sexism of this stood out more in this contemporary staging. Still, she sang beautifully.

Brian Taylor, Zeal NYC: Equilbey's Insula Orchestra plays beautifully, with a rich sound, and lacking the mannerism and stiffness that can sometimes weigh down period instrument ensembles. The acoustics in Rose Theatre were ideal for these forces. As the orchestra plays the opening aural depiction of Chaos, we gaze upon hypnotizing, arresting projections, and it eventually opens up to make endlessly imaginative use of theatrical space. The chorus is clearly dressed and directed to depict refugees and migrants, in one of Padrissa's more contrived, albeit relevant, metaphors.

Cole Grissom, BroadwayWorld: In the end, the performance was visually engaging and a trend I hope more companies continue to employ when presenting oratorio repertoire. I'd go on a second date with this production, but I'm not ready for a long-term commitment...

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