There are too few occasions when proper homage is paid to Joseph Haydn, but this performance of the Creation - arguably his greatest masterpiece - felt just that. In a work in which Haydn's representation of the radiant outburst of light on earth is such a symbolic moment, it was auspicious that Thierry Fischer, principal conductor designate of the BBC Orchestra of Wales, was intent on illuminating the score's highly imaginative and original aspects.

Haydn's own sense of paying homage to Handel - to whom the oratorio's libretto is thought to have originally been offered - is evident in the choruses, sung with fervour by the BBC National Chorus of Wales. What emerged most strongly, though, was the rich fabric of the orchestral writing, demonstrating a composer conscious of being at the height of his powers and free to take risks, while unselfconsciously glorifying the god he believed to be the source of his own musical gifts.

The lyrical woodwind that so artfully dovetail with the narrative sung by the three archangels, Gabriel, Uriel and Raphael, sounded fresh and dulcet, while other instrumental textures, including the three trombones and timpani, often sounded startlingly bold. Fischer also pointed up the descriptive detail of the accompanied recitatives, heightening the drama of the soloists' words.

Soprano Nancy Argenta's Gabriel was clear and fluent, if lacking warm bloom, while tenor James Gilchrist's Raphael was unfailingly sensitive, and their duetting as Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden was nicely judged. But, of the three, it was bass singer Peter Harvey's Uriel who invested most in both his recitatives and arias. With impeccable enunciation and beautifully coloured sound, he animated the whole picture - the flexible tiger and sinuous worm included - underlining time and again Haydn's genius.