Kammerorchester Basel

Returning to Dijon with one of Europe’s best children’s choirs, the Kammerorchester Basel opens the doors to a masterpiece of the "Thomaskantor", his Weihnachtsoratorium.

Composed in Leipzig between 1734 and 1735, the Weihnachtsoratorium, along with the Passions, is one of Bach’s most imposing liturgical creations. The drama alternates between recitatives on texts from the Gospels, choirs and arias in free verse, probably from Picander (and Bach himself!), and the grand chorales characteristic of the Lutheran tradition. The celebration announcing the Arrival of the Saviour, the gentle Adoration of the Shepherds, the presentation of Jesus at the Temple compose the first sections of this sublime liturgical work, where the blaring fanfare of trumpets often gives way to the softness of the flute. Borrowing from earlier works, Bach here puts together, for the parishioners of Saint-Thomas Church as well as for posterity, an eternal poem of Christmas.

Musical director Ludwig Böhme
Kammerorchester Basel
Windsbacher Knabenchor

Soprano Anna Lena Elbert 
Alto Susanne Langner 
Tenor Tobias Hunger 
Baritone Thomas Laske

^{Photo © Mathias Mueller}

Johann Sebastian Bach
Weihnachtsoratorium BWV 248
Oratorio for soloists, choir and orchestra, Parts I, II, III, VI