Bach's Christmas Oratorio, Cantatas I, IV - VI

Bach's Christmas Oratorio, Cantatas I, IV-VI

Soloists:

• Birita Poulsen, soprano
  
• Vizma Zvaigzne, alto
  
• Thoma Jaron-Wutz, tenor
  
• Christian Wagner, bass
  

With five striking timpani strokes, trilling flutes, oboes, trumpet fanfares, and a jubilant choir, Bach, as Thomaskantor in Leipzig, surprised his audience on Christmas Day 1734: The opening bars of a cantata cycle for the church services during Christmas and New Year's Day 1734/35 were heard. The work's jubilant motifs may have reminded churchgoers of the time of the underlying cantata of homage to the Saxon Electress and Polish Queen Maria Josepha – but this time, the composer had a different king in mind with his magnificent music: "Now the hero from the line of David will be born for the comfort and salvation of the earth."


In 2025, a festive arc of tension, setting the tone for the Christmas season, unfolds, from the birth of Christ (Christmas Day) through the day of Jesus' naming (New Year's Day) to the appearance of the three wise men from the East (Epiphany). Exuberant joy and gripping drama characterize cantatas I and IV to VI. The coming of Christ into the world and the persecution by Herod are closely intertwined.

And yet – the Star of Bethlehem shows the way to the child in the manger; it stands symbolically for the Savior as the light of the world: “Now the star of Jacob will shine, His ray is already breaking forth. Arise, Zion, and now cease your weeping, Your well-being rises high!”