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 of recent recordings.

Contents:
CD 1 [70’34]
Weihnachts-Oratorium BWV248
- Cantatas I, II & III
Lynne Dawson (soprano), Bernhard Landauer (alto), Charles Daniel (tenor, Evangelist), Klaus Mertens (bass), Coro Della Radio Svizzera Lugano
I Baroccisti / Diego Fasolts

CD 2 [64’59]
Weihnachts-Oratorium BWV248
- Cantatas IV,V & VI
Lynne Dawson (soprano), Bernhard Landauer (alto), Charles Daniel (tenor, Evangelist), Klaus Mertens (bass), Coro Della Radio Svizzera Lugano
I Baroccisti / Diego Fasolts

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
Ruth Holton, Marjon Strijk (soprano)
Syste Buwalda (alto)
Knut Schoch, Marcel Beekman, Nico van der Meel (tenor)
Bas Ramselaar (bass)
Holland Boys’ Choir · Netherlands Bach Collegium / Pieter Jan Leusink

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)