Cover: Adoration of the Shepherds (detail) by Angelo Bronzino (1503-1572)
Hyperion CDA68031/2 · November 2013
Bach - Christmas Oratorio
Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, Stephen Layton (conductor)
- SUNDAY TIMES - ALBUM OF THE WEEK
- DAILY TELEGRAPH - ALBUM OF THE WEEK
- THE MAIL ON SUNDAY - DISC OF THE WEEK
- CLASSIC FM - DAVID MELLOR - ALBUM OF THE WEEK
- PRESTO CLASSICAL - DISC OF THE MONTH
- THE DAILY TELEGRAPH CLASSICAL ALBUM OF THE WEEK
Press
Audiophile Audition2013The Bach is a given-one of the most joyous works he ever wrote, it is a bit unusual in that it was not given at a single church setting, but spread over six different days in true cantata-style. However, what is unusual is the…Read the review 
BBC Music Magazine2013The superb quartet of soloists yields not a demisemiquaver to the competition. In a work incontestably smitten with the alto voice, Iestyn Davies triumphs, dependably warm and expressively supple. Matthew Brook's resplendent…Read the review 
Classic FM Magazine2013David Mellor's Album of the Week Christmas has come early. Or at least, Bach's Christmas Oratorio has come early as far as David Mellor is concerned. This week, David unwraps one Christmas present very early - a magnificent new…Read the review 
Hi-Fi Critic2013Brazen and celebratory, the opening of J S Bach’s Christmas Oratorio blazes into life in a Cambridge chapel setting, the acoustic spacious, the choristers and players filling it with joy. There is much here that is deeply…Read the review 
Limelight2014A truly festive account of Bach's colourful Christmas masterpiece. Colourful, inventive and utterly appealing, Bach’s Christmas Oratorio is one of those works that listeners enjoy returning to again and again. All the more reason…Read the review 
Music Web International2013Earlier this year I was very taken with Stephen Layton’s recording of Bach’s St John Passion (review). That recording was made with his other choir, Polyphony, and the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment. Now Layton has…Read the review 
Presto Classical2013Christmas Oratorios from Bach, Berlioz and Britten As it’s only just December, I feel it’s a little early for Christmas carols - so instead I’ve been easing myself into festive mode with three seasonal oratorios. First up is a…Read the review 
Sinfini Music2013Bach’s Christmas Oratorio started life as a set of related cantatas, conceived for performance on the six church feasts between Christmas Day and Epiphany. The composer recycled several earlier works - secular pieces for the…Read the review 
The Arts Desk2013A flurry of timpani and a pair of trilling flutes kick things off nicely. The OAE's oboes and trumpets are also in fine form, but what really makes this Bach recording a joy is the weight and richness of the choral sound. So many…Read the review 
The Mail on Sunday2013Disc of the Week For me nothing is more majestic, or better conveys the sheer joy of Christmas, than the opening chorus of Bach’s Christmas Oratorio. And it sounds especially well on a new Hyperion offering conducted by the…Read the review 
The Sunday Times2013ALBUM OF THE WEEK Although Bach called these six yuletide cantatas, composed in 1734, an oratorio, he intended them to be performed separately: on the first, second and third days of Christmas, the Feast of the Circumcision, the…Read the review 
Voix des Arts2013Few compilations of repurposed music have been as embraced by musicians and listeners as Johann Sebastian Bach’s Weihnachtsoratorium has been in the years since it was reintroduced to audiences in 1857. Created for celebration of…Read the review
Recorded: January 2013
Produced by Stephen Johns
Engineered by David Hinitt
Release date: November 2013
Total duration: 151 minutes 46 seconds
Track list
- Christmas Oratorio BWV248: Part 1 No 1, Chorus: Jauchzet, frohlocket, auf, preiset die TageJohann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)8'10
- Christmas Oratorio BWV248: Part 1 No 2, Recitative: Es begab sich aber zu der Zeit (Evangelist)Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)1'14
- Christmas Oratorio BWV248: Part 1 No 3, Recitative: Nun wird mein liebster BräutigamJohann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)0'51
- Christmas Oratorio BWV248: Part 1 No 4, Aria: Bereite dich, Zion, mit zärtlichen TriebenJohann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)5'16
- Christmas Oratorio BWV248: Part 1 No 5, Chorale: Wie soll ich dich empfangenJohann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)1'23
- Christmas Oratorio BWV248: Part 1 No 6, Recitative: Und sie gebar ihren ersten Sohn (Evangelist)Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)0'22
- Christmas Oratorio BWV248: Part 1 No 7, Chorale & Recitative: Er ist auf Erden kommen arm / Wer will die Liebe recht erhöhnJohann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)3'03
- Christmas Oratorio BWV248: Part 1 No 8, Aria: Großer Herr, o starker KönigJohann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)4'44
- Christmas Oratorio BWV248: Part 1 No 9, Chorale: Ach mein herzliebes JesuleinJohann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)1'24
- Christmas Oratorio BWV248: Part 2 No 1: SinfoniaJohann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)5'29
- Christmas Oratorio BWV248: Part 2 No 2, Recitative: Und es waren Hirten in derselben Gegend (Evangelist)Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)0'35
- Christmas Oratorio BWV248: Part 2 No 3, Chorale: Brich an, o schönes MorgenlichtJohann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)1'05
- Christmas Oratorio BWV248: Part 2 No 4, Recitative: Und der Engel sprach zu ihnen (Evangelist/Der Engel)Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)0'42
- Christmas Oratorio BWV248: Part 2 No 5, Recitative: Was Gott dem Abraham verheißenJohann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)0'49
- Christmas Oratorio BWV248: Part 2 No 6, Aria: Frohe Hirten, eilt, ach eiletJohann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)3'26
- Christmas Oratorio BWV248: Part 2 No 7, Recitative: Und das habt zum Zeichen (Evangelist)Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)0'22
- Christmas Oratorio BWV248: Part 2 No 8, Chorale: Schaut hin, dort liegt im finstern StallJohann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)0'40
- Christmas Oratorio BWV248: Part 2 No 9, Recitative: So geht denn hin, ihr Hirten, gehtJohann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)0'48
- Christmas Oratorio BWV248: Part 2 No 10, Aria: Schlafe, mein Liebster, genieße der Ruh’Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)10'47
- Christmas Oratorio BWV248: Part 2 No 11, Recitative: Und alsobald war da bei dem Engel (Evangelist)Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)0'11
- Christmas Oratorio BWV248: Part 2 No 12, Chorus: Ehre sei Gott in der HöheJohann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)2'44
- Christmas Oratorio BWV248: Part 2 No 13, Recitative: So recht, ihr Engel, jauchzt und singetJohann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)0'25
- Christmas Oratorio BWV248: Part 2 No 14, Chorale: Wir singen dir in deinem HeerJohann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)1'27
- Christmas Oratorio BWV248: Part 3 No 1, Chorus: Herrscher des Himmels, erhöre das LallenJohann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)2'02
- Christmas Oratorio BWV248: Part 3 No 2, Recitative: Und da die Engel von ihnen gen Himmel fuhren (Evangelist)Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)0'09
- Christmas Oratorio BWV248: Part 3 No 3, Chorus: Lasset uns nun gehen gen BethlehemJohann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)0'46
- Christmas Oratorio BWV248: Part 3 No 4, Recitative: Er hat sein Volk getröst'Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)0'43
- Christmas Oratorio BWV248: Part 3 No 5, Chorale: Dies hat er alles uns getanJohann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)0'41
- Christmas Oratorio BWV248: Part 3 No 6, Duet: Herr, dein Mitleid, dein ErbarmenJohann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)7'54
- Christmas Oratorio BWV248: Part 3 No 7, Recitative: Und sie kamen eilend (Evangelist)Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)1'07
- Christmas Oratorio BWV248: Part 3 No 8, Aria: Schließe, mein Herze, dies selige WunderJohann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)5'30
- Christmas Oratorio BWV248: Part 3 No 9, Recitative: Ja, ja, mein Herz soll es bewahrenJohann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)0'27
- Christmas Oratorio BWV248: Part 3 No 10, Chorale: Ich will dich mit Fleiß bewahrenJohann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)1'06
- Christmas Oratorio BWV248: Part 3 No 11, Recitative: Und die Hirten kehrten wieder um (Evangelist)Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)0'20
- Christmas Oratorio BWV248: Part 3 No 12, Chorale: Seid froh dieweilJohann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)0'41
- Christmas Oratorio BWV248: Part 3 No 13, Chorus da capo: Herrscher des Himmels, erhöre das LallenJohann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)2'06
- Christmas Oratorio BWV248: Part 4 No 1, Chorus: Fallt mit Danken, fallt mit LobenJohann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)6'18
- Christmas Oratorio BWV248: Part 4 No 2, Recitative: Und da acht Tage um waren (Evangelist)Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)0'36
- Christmas Oratorio BWV248: Part 4 No 3, Recitative & Arioso: Immanuel, o süßes Wort! / Jesu, du mein liebstes LebenJohann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)2'41
- Christmas Oratorio BWV248: Part 4 No 4, Aria: Flößt, mein Heiland, flößt dein NamenJohann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)5'53
- Christmas Oratorio BWV248: Part 4 No 5, Recitative & Chorale: Wohlan, dein Name soll allein / Jesu, meine Freud und WonneJohann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)1'32
- Christmas Oratorio BWV248: Part 4 No 6, Aria: Ich will nur dir zu Ehren lebenJohann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)4'45
- Christmas Oratorio BWV248: Part 4 No 7, Chorale: Jesus richte mein BeginnenJohann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)1'59
- Christmas Oratorio BWV248: Part 5 No 1, Chorus: Ehre sei dir, Gott, gesungenJohann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)6'41
- Christmas Oratorio BWV248: Part 5 No 2, Recitative: Da Jesus geboren war zu Bethlehem (Evangelist)Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)0'22
- Christmas Oratorio BWV248: Part 5 No 3, Chorus with recitative: Wo ist der neugeborne König der Jüden?Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)2'09
- Christmas Oratorio BWV248: Part 5 No 4, Chorale: Dein Glanz all Finsternis verzehrtJohann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)0'53
- Christmas Oratorio BWV248: Part 5 No 5, Aria: Erleucht auch meine finstre SinnenJohann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)4'36
- Christmas Oratorio BWV248: Part 5 No 6, Recitative: Da das der König Herodes hörte (Evangelist)Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)0'13
- Christmas Oratorio BWV248: Part 5 No 7, Recitative: Warum wollt ihr erschrecken?Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)0'33
- Christmas Oratorio BWV248: Part 5 No 8, Recitative: Und ließ versammlen alle Hohepriester (Evangelist)Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)1'35
- Christmas Oratorio BWV248: Part 5 No 9, Trio: Ach, wenn wird die Zeit erscheinen?Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)5'46
- Christmas Oratorio BWV248: Part 5 No 10, Recitative: Mein Liebster herrschet schonJohann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)0'30
- Christmas Oratorio BWV248: Part 5 No 11, Chorale: Zwar ist solche HerzensstubeJohann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)1'08
- Christmas Oratorio BWV248: Part 6 No 1, Chorus: Herr, wenn die stolzen Feinde schnaubenJohann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)5'23
- Christmas Oratorio BWV248: Part 6 No 2, Recitative: Da berief Herodes die Weisen heimlich (Evangelist/Herodes)Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)0'44
- Christmas Oratorio BWV248: Part 6 No 3, Recitative: Du Falscher, suche nur den Herrn zu fällenJohann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)0'50
- Christmas Oratorio BWV248: Part 6 No 4, Aria: Nur ein Wink von seinen HändenJohann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)4'05
- Christmas Oratorio BWV248: Part 6 No 5, Recitative: Als sie nun den König gehöret hatten (Evangelist)Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)1'10
- Christmas Oratorio BWV248: Part 6 No 6, Chorale: Ich steh an deiner Krippen hierJohann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)1'17
- Christmas Oratorio BWV248: Part 6 No 7, Recitative: Und Gott befahl ihnen im Traum (Evangelist)Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)0'23
- Christmas Oratorio BWV248: Part 6 No 8, Recitative: So geht! Genug, mein Schatz geht nicht von hierJohann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)1'46
- Christmas Oratorio BWV248: Part 6 No 9, Aria: Nun mögt ihr stolzen Feinde schreckenJohann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)4'29
- Christmas Oratorio BWV248: Part 6 No 10, Recitative: Was will der Höllen Schrecken nunJohann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)0'43
- Christmas Oratorio BWV248: Part 6 No 11, Chorale: Nun seid ihr wohl gerochenJohann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)3'17
Recording details from Hyperion Records.