Haydn's oratorio The Creation is the latest work to feature in the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment's Gamechangers series. Does it merit the description? The dissonant orchestral overture, representing the chaos of space before God got to work on it, must have sounded like nothing ever heard on Earth to its first audience. But, in a run-of-the-mill performance, it can seem as though Haydn uses his best ideas first, and that by the time mankind finally turns up, the music is already on its way out of Eden.

Performances as good as this one, however, blow that impression of the work to bits. There wasn't a dull moment, because Simon Rattle simply never allowed one. Something was happening in every bar. Sometimes the interesting points were the obvious ones, usually Haydn's gleeful depictions of the newly created animals: roaring trombone lions that almost startled us out of our seats, or the juddering rasp of the contrabassoon for the heavy beasts. But there were also small details, or hidden countermelodies – and it took Rattle's searching, driven conducting and the orchestra's imaginative responsiveness to draw them out.

There was an excellent trio of solo singers, with Sally Matthews's fluidly expressive soprano buoyed by the orchestra, and tenor John Mark Ainsley was understated but elegant. The bass has the most fun, and here Peter Rose relished his every turn, especially the low notes for the lowly earthworm.

Subtle changes in the usual set-up maximised the impact. The small double-bass section was split between the two sides of the stage, with the continuo player in the middle, meaning the deepest, floor-shaking notes came at us in stereo. Perhaps it also made a difference that the choir exactly filled the space behind the wind and brass; when they combined, the effect was of a wall of sound. The onset of light was a great choral explosion. For once, though, it didn't eclipse what came after.

• On BBC iPlayer until 13 May.