Start of a Pilgrimage: Bach's Christmas Oratorio in Weimar
Concert

Start of a Pilgrimage: Bach's Christmas Oratorio in Weimar

Sir John Eliot Gardiner

Production Date: 27/12/1999
145 Min

First heard at church services in Leipzig between Christmas Day 1734 and Epiphany 1735, Bach’s Christmas Oratorio is divided into six cantatas, each based on a different biblical scene. This concert presents the first half of a sparkling performance given over two days at Weimar’s historic Herderkirche by the Monteverdi Choir and English Baroque Soloists, conducted by world-renowned Bach specialist Sir John Eliot Gardiner. Soloists Claron McFadden, Bernarda Fink, Christoph Genz and Dietrich Henschel guide us through the first part of the Christmas story, from the Birth of Christ to the Adoration of the Shepherds.

Soloists
Bernarda Fink (Alto), Christoph Genz (Tenor), Dietrich Henschel (Bass), Claron McFadden (Soprano)
Ensembles
English Baroque Soloists, Monteverdi Choir
Conductor
John Eliot Gardiner

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