Christmas Oratorio discography

This article includes a list of commercial recordings of the Christmas Oratorio (Weihnachts-Oratorium), BWV 248, by Johann Sebastian Bach.

History

The first commercial recording of the Christmas Oratorio appeared in 1950,[1] and new versions have followed regularly. Many recorded versions feature musicians from German-speaking countries, where the oratorio has become standard repertoire.

The early recordings use larger forces than Bach would have used when the work was premiered with the Thomanerchor in Leipzig in the 1734/35. Bach wrote for a boys' choir accompanied by a comparatively small orchestra of Baroque instruments.

According to Gramophone, Nikolaus Harnoncourt's recording of 1972 was the first to be historically informed.[1] Since the 1970s many recordings of the Christmas Oratorio have used period instruments with a view to recreating the sounds envisaged by Bach. Choirs with one voice per part (OVPP), used in some historically informed performances of Bach's music, are rarely recorded in this work. There are a couple of interesting examples of the use of smaller choirs by British conductors. John Butt, in a recording made in 2015,[2] chooses two voices per part for some of the choruses.[3] This draws on the researches of Michael Maul into the choir of the Thomasschule.

Guide to table

Recordings of the Christmas Oratorio often credit four soloists, soprano/treble, alto, tenor and bass. Sometimes there are more soloists credited, for example an Evangelist distinct from the tenor soloist, or a second soprano.

The recordings listed in the table below include more than one version by certain conductors (John Eliot Gardiner, Nikolaus Harnoncourt, Helmuth Rilling).

Table of recordings

Recordings of the Christmas Oratorio
Conductor / Choir / Orchestra Soloists Label Year Choir type Orch. type Notes
Fritz Lehmann[lower-alpha 1][4]
Berlin Philharmonic
DG Archiv Produktion 1955/1956 Two chamber choirs combined
Fritz Münch
Choir of St William's Church, Strasbourg
Orchestre philharmonique de Strasbourg
Lumen
LD 3.115
1957 Part II only
Kurt Thomas[4]
Thomanerchor
Gewandhausorchester
Seraphim 1958 Boys' choir Recorded in St. Thomas Church, Leipzig
Fritz Werner[5]
Heinrich-Schütz-Chor Heilbronn
Pforzheim Chamber Orchestra
Erato 1963 Chamber orchestra
Karl Richter
Münchener Bach-Chor
Münchener Bach-Orchester
Archiv Produktion 1965
Karl Münchinger
Lübecker Knabenkantorei an St. Marien
Stuttgarter Kammerorchester
Decca 1967 Boys' choir Chamber orchestra Recorded in Ludwigsburg Palace
Nikolaus Harnoncourt[6]
Vienna Boys' Choir
Concentus Musicus Wien
Teldec
Das Alte Werk
9031-77610-2
1973 Boys' choir Period
Gerhard Schmidt-Gaden
Tölzer Knabenchor
Collegium Aureum
Deutsche Harmonia Mundi
GD 77046
1973 Boys' choir Period
Eugen Jochum
Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra & Choir
Philips 1973
Martin Flämig
Dresdner Kreuzchor
Dresden Philharmonic
Berlin Classics
BER 183892
1974 Boys' choir
Philip Ledger[6]
Choir of King's College, Cambridge
Academy of St Martin in the Fields
Angel Records
SC-3840
1976 Boys' choir Chamber orchestra
Nikolaus Harnoncourt
Tölzer Knabenchor
Concentus Musicus Wien
  • Soloists of the Tölzer Knabenchor
  • Peter Schreier
  • Robert Holl
Deutsche Grammophon
0440 073 4104
1982 Boys' choir Period DVD, released 2005
Helmuth Rilling[7]
Gächinger Kantorei
Bach-Collegium Stuttgart
Intercord 1984
Michel Corboz
Ensemble Vocal de Lausanne
Orchestre de Chambre de Lausanne
Erato
ECD 880593
1985 Chamber orchestra Recorded in Salle Del Castillo, Vevey
John Eliot Gardiner[7]
Monteverdi Choir
English Baroque Soloists
Archiv Produktion
423 232-2
1987 Period Recording used in 1996 Swedish film Juloratoriet
Philippe Herreweghe[7]
Collegium Vocale Gent
Virgin Classics
Veritas
VCD 7 90781-2
0777 7595302 2
1989 Period
Karl-Friedrich Beringer
Windsbacher Knabenchor
Münchner Bachsolisten
Teldec 1991 Boys' choir Period
Harry Christophers[8]
The Sixteen
Collins 1993 Period
Ton Koopman
Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra & Choir
Erato
0630-14635-2
1996 Period
Philip Pickett
New London Consort
Decca
458 838
1997 OVPP+R Period
René Jacobs
RIAS Kammerchor
Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin
Harmonia Mundi
2901630.31
1997 Period
Masaaki Suzuki[9]
Bach Collegium Japan
BIS Records
BIS-CD-941/942
1998 Period
John Eliot Gardiner
Monteverdi Choir
English Baroque Soloists
Arthaus
TDK DVD-BACHHO
1999 Period DVD, released in 2005
Helmut Rilling
Gächinger Kantorei
Bach-Collegium Stuttgart
Hänssler 2000
Diego Fasolis[10]
Coro della Radio svizzera
I Barocchisti
Brilliant Classics
94275
2003 Period
Jos van Veldhoven
Netherlands Bach Society
Channel Classics
CCS SA 20103
2003 Period
Nikolaus Harnoncourt
Arnold Schoenberg Chor
Concentus Musicus Wien
Deutsche Harmonia Mundi
8869 711225 2
2007 Period
Ralf Otto
Vokalensemble Frankfurt
Concerto Köln
Delta Music 2008 Period
Georg Christoph Biller
Thomanerchor
Gewandhausorchester
Rondeau Production 2009
Riccardo Chailly
Dresdner Kammerchor
Gewandhausorchester
Decca
4782271
2010 Chamber choir
Philippe Herreweghe
Collegium Vocale Gent
EuroArts
2059508
2013 Period
Stephen Layton
Choir of Trinity College, Cambridge
Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment
Hyperion
CDA68031/2
2013 Period
Johannes Stecher
Wilten Boys' Choir
Academia Jacobus Stainer
Gramola
121710
2013 Boys' choir Period
John Butt
Dunedin Consort
Linn Records 2015 Period

Notes

  1. Lehmann died during the recording sessions and was replaced by Günther Arndt
  2. A second soprano, Christa Muckenheim, is credited as the "echo soprano"
  3. A second soprano, Libby Crabtree, is credited as the "echo soprano"
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References

  1. Freeman-Attwood, Jonathan (2014). "Bach's Christmas Oratorio - which recording is best?". Gramophone. Retrieved 23 November 2019.
  2. "Dunedin Consort: Approaching Classical Music with an Inquisitive Spirit". Creativescotland.com. 2014. Retrieved 23 November 2019.
  3. Kemp, Lindsay. "JS Bach Christmas Oratorio". Gramophone. Retrieved 23 November 2019.
  4. "Weihnachts-Oratorium BWV 248 / Recordings – Part 2". Bach Cantatas Website.
  5. "Weihnachts-Oratorium BWV 248 / Recordings – Part 3". Bach Cantatas Website.
  6. "Weihnachts-Oratorium BWV 248 / Recordings – Part 4". Bach Cantatas Website.
  7. "Weinachts-Oratorium / Recordings - Part 5". Bach Cantatas Website.
  8. "Weihnachts-Oratorium BWV 248 / Recordings – Part 6". Bach Cantatas Website.
  9. "Weihnachts-Oratorium Conducted by Masaaki Suzuki". Bach Cantatas Website.
  10. "Weihnachts-Oratorium BWV 248 / Recordings – Part 7". Bach Cantatas Website.
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