Bach, J S: Christmas Oratorio, BWV248 (Weihnachts-Oratorium)

Riccardo Chailly conducts Leipzig’s famous Gewandhausorchester in Johann Sebastian Bach’s glorious collection of cantatas, otherwise known as the Christmas Oratorio. An outstanding vocal cast includes Martin Lattke as the evangelist, acclaimed English soprano Carolyn Sampson and the voices of the Dresdner Kammerchor.

The six parts which make up the Christmas Oratorio tell the biblical story from Christ's birth to the adoration of the shepherds and the Magi, and the flight in to Egypt to escape Herod's slaughter of the infants. Having first conducted the Gewandhausorchester in 1986, Riccardo Chailly's association with Leipzig is now only one year less than Bach’s. Played on modern instruments, Chailly’s Bach beautifully demonstrates that vivid, stylistically aware performance is not the exclusive preserve of period instrument ensembles. This is the third of Bach's large-scale masterpieces recorded by the Gewandhausorchester under Riccardo Chailly and released on Decca and follows critical acclaim for The Brandenburg Concertos, released in January 2010 (4782191) and the St. Matthew Passion, released in March 2010 (4782194).

Johann Sebastian Bach performed his Christmas Oratorio during the festive season 1734/5 in Leipzig. It does not conform to the usual meaning of the word Oratorio in that it is not a single self-contained work but is split into six sections or cantatas for six different services between Christmas Day and Epiphany, indeed the soloists and instrumentalists employed are varied thus enforcing the view that Bach did not expect all six to be performed in one evening concert. There is the usual blend of choruses and chorales for the choir with arias and recitatives for the soloists with the Tenor also allocated the role of Evangelist.

This recording, featuring the choir of King’s College, Cambridge, together with soloists closely associated with the works of the composer and of international renown, took place in July and December 1976 in King’s College Chapel with the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields under the direction of the Sir Philip Ledger, the then College musical director

One of Bach’s most festive religious works, the Christmas Oratorio, celebrating Christ’s Nativity.

Performance based on Historic Music Practice, on authentic instruments.

The recording of Diego Fasolis was awarded numerous international record prizes, among which the prestigious Diapason’d Or.

Compiled from secular cantatas and first published in 1734, Bach’s Christmas Oratorio is remarkable in that it was conceived to be performed in two churches over six feast days, across a two-week period. Gathering together suitable cantatas to form a larger work was not an unusual practice, and Bach’s Easter and Ascension Oratorios (BWV 249 and 11) are both compiled from secular cantatas. It is indeed possible that Bach had in mind recycling the cantatas into a larger work when he originally composed them.

The Christmas Oratorio was composed for the church year of 1734/5. A particular pattern of dates in this year meant that it could only be performed again during a church year with the same day and date sequence. During Bach’s term in office this only allowed 3 possible performances - in 1739/40, 1744/45 and 1745/46 - as a re-order is not possible.

The music of this recording is glorious late Bach. Composed after the St John and St Matthew Passions and the B minor Mass, his maturity as a composer is evident in both the structure of the work and the subtle orchestration and contrapuntal writing of the chorales.

Recording made in 2003.

Booklet notes and texts.

Period performance practice.