January 2, 2012. Happy 2012! Thanks to the tradition of the Vienna Philharmonic concerts, New Year’s music tends toward Johann Strauss Jr. and the 19th century operetta. As much as we enjoy Vienna, this is not the kind of music we love. So we turn again to Bach’s magnificent Christmas Oratorio: Part IV was written for the Feast of the Circumcision of Christ, which falls on New Year's day, and Part V – for the first Sunday of the New Year. Here is the opening chorus from Part IV, Fallt mit Danken, fallt mit Loben (Fall Down in Thanks, Fall Down in Praise). And here is the first movement (Chorus) Ehre sei dir, Gott, gesungen (Let your glory be sung out, oh God) from Part V. Both are performed by English Baroque Soloists the Monteverdi Choir under the direction of John Eliot Gardiner (courtesy of YouTube).
Pictured on the left is St. Nicholas church in Leipzig. It’s interesting that during Bach’s time the only complete performance of the Oratorio took place in St. Nicholas (it happened between December 25, 1734 and January 6, 1735). Only four parts were performed in Bach’s own church of St. Thomas. Two and a half centuries later, in 1989, St. Nicholas became the center of demonstrations against East Germany’s Communist regime, which in the end brought down Berlin Wall.
New Year 2012
January 2, 2012. Happy 2012! Thanks to the tradition of the Vienna Philharmonic concerts, New Year’s music tends toward Johann Strauss Jr. and the 19th century operetta. As much as we enjoy Vienna, this is not the kind of music we love. So we turn again to Bach’s magnificent Christmas Oratorio: Part IV was written for the Feast of the Circumcision of Christ, which falls on New Year's day, and Part V – for the first Sunday of the New Year. Here is the opening chorus from Part IV, Fallt mit Danken, fallt mit Loben (Fall Down in Thanks, Fall Down in Praise). And here is the first movement (Chorus) Ehre sei dir, Gott, gesungen (Let your glory be sung out, oh God) from Part V. Both are performed by English Baroque Soloists the Monteverdi Choir under the direction of John Eliot Gardiner (courtesy of YouTube).
Pictured on the left is St. Nicholas church in Leipzig. It’s interesting that during Bach’s time the only complete performance of the Oratorio took place in St. Nicholas (it happened between December 25, 1734 and January 6, 1735). Only four parts were performed in Bach’s own church of St. Thomas. Two and a half centuries later, in 1989, St. Nicholas became the center of demonstrations against East Germany’s Communist regime, which in the end brought down Berlin Wall.