A Bach Christmas

CD 1 70’34

Weihnachts-Oratorium BWV248*

Cantatas I, II & III

CD 2 64’59

Weihnachts-Oratorium BWV248

Cantatas IV,V & VI

Lynne Dawson soprano · Bernhard Landauer alto

Charles Daniels tenor (Evangelist) · Klaus Mertens bass

Coro della Radio Svizzera, Lugano

I Barocchisti / Diego Fasolis

CD 3 45’13

Schwingt freudig euch empor BWV36

Dazu ist erschienen der Sohn Gottes BWV40

CD 4 39’05

Selig ist der Mann BWV57

Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland BWV61

CD 5 48’21

Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland BWV62

Christen, ätzet diesen Tag BWV63

CD 6 53’40

Sehet, welch eine Liebe hat uns der Vater erzeiget BWV64

Sie werden aus Saba alle kommen BWV65

Gelobet seist du, Jesu Christ BWV91

CD 7 49’03

Unser Mund sei voll Lachens BWV110

Preise, Jerusalem, den Herrn BWV119

CD 8 55’34

Christum wir sollen loben schon BWV121

Das neugeborne Kindelein BWV122

Liebster Immanuel, Herzog der Frommen BWV123

CD 9 53’03

Bereitet die Wege, bereitet die Bahn BWV132

Ich freue mich in dir BWV133

Süßer Trost, mein Jesus kommt BWV151

Holland Boys’ Choir · Netherlands Bach Collegium

Ruth Holton, Marjon Strijk sopranos

Syste Buwalda alto

Knut Schoch, Marcel Beekman, Nico van der Meel tenors

Bas Ramselaar bass

Pieter Jan Leusink conductor

CD 10 69’42

Organ Works for Christmas: Chorales, chorale preludes,

fantasias and variations BWV 590, 601, 603–615,

659–661, 664, 700–701, 729, 733, 738 & 769

Hans Fagius organ

Lynne Dawson* Soprano,

Bernhard Landauer* Alto,

Charles Daniel* Tenor

(Evangelist), Klaus Mertens* Bass, Coro Della Radio Svizzera

Lugano*, I Baroccisti*, Diego Fasolts* Conductor

Holland Boys Choir, Netherlands Bach Collegium, Syste Bowalda

Alto, Knut Schoch, Marcel Beekman, Nico Van Der Meel Tenors,

Bas Ramselaav Bass, Pieter Jan Leustak Conductor

Hans Fagius Organs

Just as much a part of Christmas as Handel’s Messiah, Bach’s Christmas Oratorio is a reworking of a collection of his secular festive cantatas to form a single larger work. It was first heard in Leipzig on Christmas Day 1734, and performed in six sections between Christmas Day and Epiphany 1735. Bach wrote similar oratorios for Easter and Ascension, and all re-use existing cantatas. For the oratorio versions however, it wasn’t just a case of cobbling the works together. Bach wrote much new music, especially the choruses, but the core of the work is taken from cantatas nos 213, 214 and 215.

Chorale preludes would have been a feature of any church service in Leipzig over the Christmas period, acting as interludes between the movements of the cantatas and oratorios. A selection of works for organ related to Christmas is included on the 10th CD of this Festive Bach box.

Brilliant Classics 10cds 94103