Christmas Oratorio, J. S. Bach at Seville Opera House

About the Event

Explore the beauty of Baroque music at Teatro de la Maestranza in Seville, where masterworks from Bach come to life in this incredible performance.

The jubilant Christmas of Bach

The excellence and international popularity of the Seville Baroque Orchestra (OBS) was evident when it returned to the Teatro de la Maestranza for the best possible Christmas celebration. In his Christmas Oratorio BWV 248, Bach abandons the convention of linking a cantata to a specific Gospel reading on the day of performance. Here the composer tells the Christmas story, from the birth of Jesus to the adoration of the wise men, in a moving and accessible narrative style. Of course, it is also festive and often musically joyful.

Despite being 'divided' into six distinct sections, the 'parody style' maintains a general (and sophisticated) continuity. Johann Sebastian Bach composed six cantatas which were premiered in succession during the festive season at St Thomas' Church in Leipzig: from 25 to 27 December 1734 and on 1, 2 and 6 January 1735. This sequence may at first suggest a partially dispersed production. However, it is clear from the manuscript that it is an 'oratorio', and experts have emphasised the coherence and unity of the music. At least 20 of the oratorio works can be traced back to Bach's early secular works.

In addition to the Wenzbach Children's Choir conducted by Ludwing Böhme, the Sevilla Baroque Orchestra will be accompanied by an outstanding quartet of singers: Isabel Schicketanz, Marie Henriette Reinhold, Patrick Grahl and Thomas Laske. In this performance we hear four of the six choruses of the oratorio: 1. 'The Event of Christ' 2. 'The Annunciation of the Shepherds' 3. 'The Adoration of the Shepherds' and 6.