Bach Christmas Oratorio

Since the middle of the 20th century, the Christmas Oratorio has become one of Bach’s most popular works in German speaking countries, performed both in concert and within religious ceremonies during the holiday season at the end of the year. Originally, the six parts were played between Christmas morning 1734 and Epiphany 1735 in the corresponding services at the Lutheran churches of St Thomas and St Nicholas in Leipzig. In the meantime it has become common, however, to present them all in a sequence, in our case the first three… 

The Christmas Oratorio tells us about the first days in Christ’s life (in parts I-III, His birth, the arrival of the shepherds and their adoration). Structurally, it bears strong similarities with Bach’s famous Passions: a well-balanced mix of recitatives, contemplative arias, religious anthems and elaborate choruses, all sung in German. Our production adds a completely new century and style to the concert repertoire of the Chorus of the Opéra de Monte-Carlo, while also shedding a different light onto our period instrument orchestra Les Musiciens du Prince and chief conductor Gianluca Capuano.