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
Conductor / Choir / Orchestra | Soloists | Label | Year | Choir type | Orch. type | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Fritz Lehmann[lower-alpha 1][4]
|
DG Archiv Produktion | 1955/1956 | Two chamber choirs combined | |||
Fritz MünchChoir of St William's Church, StrasbourgOrchestre philharmonique de Strasbourg |
|
Lumen LD 3.115 |
1957 | Part II only | ||
Kurt Thomas[4]ThomanerchorGewandhausorchester | Seraphim | 1958 | Boys' choir | Recorded in St. Thomas Church, Leipzig | ||
Fritz Werner[5]Heinrich-Schütz-Chor HeilbronnPforzheim Chamber Orchestra |
|
Erato | 1963 | Chamber orchestra | ||
Karl RichterMünchener Bach-ChorMünchener Bach-Orchester | Archiv Produktion | 1965 | ||||
Karl MünchingerLübecker Knabenkantorei an St. MarienStuttgarter Kammerorchester | Decca | 1967 | Boys' choir | Chamber orchestra | Recorded in Ludwigsburg Palace | |
Nikolaus Harnoncourt[6]Vienna Boys' ChoirConcentus Musicus Wien |
|
Teldec Das Alte Werk 9031-77610-2 |
1973 | Boys' choir | Period | |
Gerhard Schmidt-GadenTölzer KnabenchorCollegium Aureum |
|
Deutsche Harmonia Mundi GD 77046 |
1973 | Boys' choir | Period | |
Eugen JochumBavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra & Choir |
|
Philips | 1973 | |||
Martin FlämigDresdner KreuzchorDresden Philharmonic | Berlin Classics BER 183892 |
1974 | Boys' choir | |||
Philip Ledger[6]Choir of King's College, CambridgeAcademy of St Martin in the Fields |
|
Angel Records SC-3840 |
1976 | Boys' choir | Chamber orchestra | |
Nikolaus HarnoncourtTölzer KnabenchorConcentus Musicus Wien |
|
Deutsche Grammophon 0440 073 4104 |
1982 | Boys' choir | Period | DVD, released 2005 |
Helmuth Rilling[7]Gächinger KantoreiBach-Collegium Stuttgart |
|
Intercord | 1984 | |||
Michel CorbozEnsemble Vocal de LausanneOrchestre de Chambre de Lausanne |
|
Erato ECD 880593 |
1985 | Chamber orchestra | Recorded in Salle Del Castillo, Vevey | |
John Eliot Gardiner[7]Monteverdi ChoirEnglish 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 BeringerWindsbacher KnabenchorMünchner Bachsolisten |
|
Teldec | 1991 | Boys' choir | Period | |
Harry Christophers[8]The Sixteen |
|
Collins | 1993 | Period | ||
Ton KoopmanAmsterdam Baroque Orchestra & Choir | Erato 0630-14635-2 |
1996 | Period | |||
Philip PickettNew London Consort |
|
Decca 458 838 |
1997 | OVPP+R | Period | |
René JacobsRIAS KammerchorAkademie 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 GardinerMonteverdi ChoirEnglish Baroque Soloists | Arthaus TDK DVD-BACHHO |
1999 | Period | DVD, released in 2005 | ||
Helmut RillingGächinger KantoreiBach-Collegium Stuttgart | Hänssler | 2000 | ||||
Diego Fasolis[10]Coro della Radio svizzeraI Barocchisti |
|
Brilliant Classics 94275 |
2003 | Period | ||
Jos van VeldhovenNetherlands Bach Society | Channel Classics CCS SA 20103 |
2003 | Period | |||
Nikolaus HarnoncourtArnold Schoenberg ChorConcentus Musicus Wien |
|
Deutsche Harmonia Mundi 8869 711225 2 |
2007 | Period | ||
Ralf OttoVokalensemble FrankfurtConcerto Köln |
|
Delta Music | 2008 | Period | ||
Georg Christoph BillerThomanerchorGewandhausorchester |
|
Rondeau Production | 2009 | |||
Riccardo ChaillyDresdner KammerchorGewandhausorchester |
|
Decca 4782271 |
2010 | Chamber choir | ||
Philippe HerrewegheCollegium Vocale Gent |
|
EuroArts 2059508 |
2013 | Period | ||
Stephen LaytonChoir of Trinity College, CambridgeOrchestra of the Age of Enlightenment |
|
Hyperion CDA68031/2 |
2013 | Period | ||
Johannes StecherWilten Boys' ChoirAcademia Jacobus Stainer |
|
Gramola 121710 |
2013 | Boys' choir | Period | |
John ButtDunedin Consort |
|
Linn Records | 2015 | Period |
Notes
- Lehmann died during the recording sessions and was replaced by Günther Arndt
- A second soprano, Christa Muckenheim, is credited as the "echo soprano"
- A second soprano, Libby Crabtree, is credited as the "echo soprano"
References
- Freeman-Attwood, Jonathan (2014). "Bach's Christmas Oratorio - which recording is best?". Gramophone. Retrieved 23 November 2019.
- "Dunedin Consort: Approaching Classical Music with an Inquisitive Spirit". Creativescotland.com. 2014. Retrieved 23 November 2019.
- Kemp, Lindsay. "JS Bach Christmas Oratorio". Gramophone. Retrieved 23 November 2019.
- "Weihnachts-Oratorium BWV 248 / Recordings – Part 2". Bach Cantatas Website.
- "Weihnachts-Oratorium BWV 248 / Recordings – Part 3". Bach Cantatas Website.
- "Weihnachts-Oratorium BWV 248 / Recordings – Part 4". Bach Cantatas Website.
- "Weinachts-Oratorium / Recordings - Part 5". Bach Cantatas Website.
- "Weihnachts-Oratorium BWV 248 / Recordings – Part 6". Bach Cantatas Website.
- "Weihnachts-Oratorium Conducted by Masaaki Suzuki". Bach Cantatas Website.
- "Weihnachts-Oratorium BWV 248 / Recordings – Part 7". Bach Cantatas Website.