We are preparing for the joy of the Christmas celebration in so many ways these days... Sparkle, glitter, presents, festive decorations, picturesque characters and everything else that today's marketing brings to the attention of potential customers...

But for centuries, Christmas has been a joy of the spirit, with the legendary scene of the Holy Family and the Christ Child, evoked in places of worship not only by images, but also by musical creations dedicated to these days of celebration, which began in the German-speaking world on December 25th and continued until January 6th the following year.

Cantatas for Christmas days appear several times in Johann Sebastian Bach's works; we know those composed for the Christmas season in Weimar in 1714, then those of 1724 - 1725, shortly after his appointment in Leipzig, and those composed in the following years on the texts of different authors... But for Christmas of 1734 and the feast days of early 1735 Johann Sebastian Bach conceived a Christmas Oratorio, consisting of 6 cantatas dedicated - each - to a specific day, even using a different type of ensemble. Even if previously written pages were incorporated into these scores, the Christmas Oratorio appears as a monumental opus in the catalog of Bach's works, bearing the number 248.

The text, which takes moments from the Gospels of Luke and Matthew, is sung by the choir and soloists, in the timbral ambience of wind instruments used in that era and of the string ensemble specific in the context of the sounds of the German Protestant churches of the time. While in Bach's time the first three cantatas were performed on December 25th, 26th and 27th, the fourth on New Year's Eve, the next on the first Sunday of New Year's Eve, and the last on Epiphany, nowadays - most of the time - the "Christmas Oratorio" is divided into two programs.

In Hanover, the Radio Philharmonic Orchestra and the NDR Vokalensemble return to the line-up with Johann Sebastian Bach's famous opus, choosing for this week's concerts the first three cantatas from this oratorio, in the interpretative vision of Canadian Bernard Labadie - a highly regarded connoisseur of the Baroque and Classical repertoire, to which he has devoted his interests for several decades; he founded the ensemble "Les Violons du Roy" in Quebec and founded the choral group "La Chapelle de Québec", guiding their artistic trajectory since the 20th century, and since 2018 he is also the principal conductor of the St. Bernard Orchestra. Since 2018, he has been the principal conductor of the St. Luke's Orchestra of New York, also recognized for its Carnegie Hall season.

The solo quartet brings to the spotlight voices from distinct generations, with a common denominator of international acclaim and interesting appearances and in the operatic as well as symphonic vocal repertoire. Freiburg-born soprano Lydia Teuscher has appeared over the past two and a half decades in the company of some of the most prestigious names in Baroque music interpretation (from the Bach Academy led by Helmutt Rilling to the ensemble L'Arco), as well as legendary figures in Lied recitals (such as Graham Johnson). The Canadian tenor Andrew Haji has already collaborated several times with various ensembles conducted by Bernard Labadie, not only in vocal symphonies by Bach, Mozart and many others, but also on the big stages in operas by Donizetti and Bellini, for example, and has won the grand prize in competitions such as the demanding singing competitions in Hertogenbosch and Montreal. The career of counter-tenor Hugh Cutting, who made his debut at the Zurich Opera last season and makes his first appearance at Scala this season, is on the up, having also won major prizes. The solo quartet of the Bach evening in Hanover is completed by the young Romanian-German baritone Konstantin Krimmel, winner of the Opus Klassic Award in the category "Singer of the Year" in 2024 and the Gramophone Award for his album of lieder "The Beautiful Little Housewife".

Radio România Muzical offers you a special present on St. Nicholas: these 3 cantatas from Johann Sebastian Bach's Christmas Oratorio, broadcasted live from Hanover.

Please note in your diary: December 6th, 9 pm!