Bach, J.S.: Christmas Oratorio, BWV 248 (Remastered) Gundula Janowitz, Christa Ludwig, Fritz Wunderlich, Franz Crass, Münchener Bach-Chor, Münchener Bach-Orchester & Karl Richter

• Johann Sebastian Bach (1685 - 1770): Christmas Oratorio, BWV 248 / Part One - For The First Day Of Christmas:
• 1 No.1 Chorus: "Jauchzet, frohlocket" 08:17
• 2 No.2 Evangelist: "Es begab sich aber zu der Zeit" 01:39
• 3 No.3 Rezitativ: "Nun wird mein liebster Bräutigam" 01:09
• 4 No.4 Aria: "Bereite dich, Zion" 06:03
• 5 No.5 Choral: "Wie soll ich dich empfangen" 01:19
• 6 No.6 Evangelist: "Und sie gebar ihren ersten Sohn" 00:30
• 7 No.7 Choral, Recitativ: "Er ist auf Erden kommen arm" / "Wer will die Liebe recht erhöhn" 03:35
• 8 No.8 Aria: "Großer Herr, o starker König" 05:39
• 9 No.9 Choral: "Ach mein herzliebes Jesulein" 01:36
• Christmas Oratorio, BWV 248 / Part Two - For The Second Day Of Christmas:
• 10 No.10 Sinfonia 07:14
• 11 No.11 Evangelist: "Und es waren Hirten in derselben Gegend" 01:02
• 12 No.12 Choral: "Brich an, o schönes Morgenlicht" 01:08
• 13 No.13 Evangelist, Engel: "Und der Engel sprach zu Ihnen" 00:59
• 14 No.14 Rezitativ: "Was Gott dem Abraham Verheißen" 00:56
• 15 No.15 Aria: "Frohe Hirten, eilt, ach eilet" 03:57
• 16 No.16 Evangelist: "Und das habt zum Zeichen" 00:28
• 17 No.17 Choral: "Schaut hin, dort liegt im finstern Stall" 00:45
• 18 No.18 Rezitativ: "So geht denn hin, ihr Hirten, geht" 01:00
• 19 No.19 Aria: "Schlafe, mein Liebster, geniesse der Ruh" 11:14
• 20 No.20 Evangelist: "Und alsbald war da bei dem Engel" 00:19
• 21 No.21 Chor: "Ehre sei Gott in der Höhe" 02:42
• 22 No.22 Rezitativ: "So recht, ihr Engel, jauchzt und singet" 00:35
• 23 No.23 Choral: "Wir singen dir in deinem Heer" 01:42
• Christmas Oratorio, BWV 248 / Part Three - For The Third Day Of Christmas:
• 24 No.24 Chor: "Herrscher des Himmels, erhöre das Lallen" 02:13
• 25 No.25 Evangelist: "Und da die Engel von ihnen gen Himmel fuhren" 00:12
• 26 No.26 Chor: "Lasset uns nun gehen gen Bethlehem" 00:53
• 27 No.27 Rezitativ: "Er hat sein Volk getröst" 00:58
• 28 No.28 Choral: "Dies hat er alles uns getan" 00:47
• 29 No.29 Duett: "Herr, dein Mitleid, dein Erbarmen" 08:21
• 30 No.30 Evangelist: "Und sie kamen eilend" 01:24
• 31 No.31 Aria: "Schließe, mein Herze, dies selige Wunder" 06:11
• 32 No.32 Recitativ: "Ja, ja, mein Herz soll es bewahren" 00:31
• 33 No.33 Choral: "Ich will dich mit Fleiß bewahren" 00:48
• 34 No.34 Evangelist: "Und die Hirten kehrten wieder um" 00:34
• 35 No.35 Choral: "Seid froh dieweil" 00:49
• 36 No.24 Chor: "Herrscher des Himmels, erhöre das Lallen" (da capo) 02:20
• Christmas Oratorio, BWV 248 / Part Four - For New Year's Day:
• 37 No.36 Chor: "Fallt mit Danken, fallt mit Loben" 05:56
• 38 No.37 Evangelist: "Und da acht Tage um waren" 00:42
• 39 No.38 Rezitativ, Arioso: "Immanuel, o süßes Wort" / "Jesu, du mein liebstes Leben" / "Komm ich will dich mit Lust umfassen" 03:12
• 40 No.39 Aria: "Flösst, mein Heiland, flösst dein Namen" 05:43
• 41 No.40 Rezitativ, Arioso: "Wohlan, dein Name soll allein" / "Jesu mein Freud und Wonne" 01:43
• 42 No.41 Aria: "Ich will nur dir zu Ehren leben" 04:55
• 43 No.42 Choral: "Jesus richte mein Beginnen" 03:04
• Christmas Oratorio, BWV 248 / Part Five - For The 1st Sunday In The New Year:
• 44 No.43 Chor: "Ehre sei dir, Gott, gesungen" 06:49
• 45 No.44 Evangelist: "Da Jesu geboren war zu Bethlehem" 00:30
• 46 No.45 Chor, Rezitativ: "Wo ist der neugeborne König der Juden?" / "Sucht ihn in meiner Brust" 02:29
• 47 No.46 Choral: "Dein Glanz all Finsternis verzehrt" 00:48
• 48 No.47 Aria: "Erleucht auch meine finstre Sinnen" 04:23
• 49 No.48 Evangelist: "Da das der König Herodes hörte" 00:15
• 50 No.49 Rezitativ: "Warum wollt ihr erschrecken?" 00:35
• 51 No.50 Evangelist: "Und ließ versammeln alle Hohepriester" 01:38
• 52 No.51 Terzetto: "Ach, wann wird die Zeit erscheinen?" 05:21
• 53 No.52 Rezitativ: "Mein Liebster herrschet schon" 00:35
• 54 No.53 Choral: "Zwar ist solche Herzensstube" 00:56
• Christmas Oratorio, BWV 248 / Part Six - For The Feast Of Epiphany:
• 55 No.54 Chor: "Herr, wenn die stolzen Feinde schnauben" 05:13
• 56 No.55 Evangelist, Herodes: "Da berief Herodes die Weisen heimlich" / "Ziehet hin und forschet fleißig" 01:09
• 57 No.56 Rezitativ: "Du Falscher, suche nur den Herrn zu fällen" 01:00
• 58 No.57 Aria: "Nur ein Wink von seinen Händen" 04:03
• 59 No.58 Evangelist: "Als sie nun den König gehöret hatten" 01:31
• 60 No.59 Chorale: "Ich steh an deiner Krippen hier" 01:12
• 61 No.60 Evangelist: "Und Gott befahl ihnen im Traum" 00:24
• 62 No.61 Rezitativ: "So geht! Genug, mein Schatz geht nicht von hier" 02:01
• 63 No.62 Aria: "Nun mögt ihr stolzen Feinde schrecken" 04:09
• 64 No.63 Rezitativ: "Was will der Hölle Schrecken nun?" 00:33
• 65 No.64 Choral: "Nun seid ihr wohl gerochen" 03:18
• Total Runtime 02:43:56

Info for Bach, J.S.: Christmas Oratorio, BWV 248 (Remastered)

The Christmas Oratorio (German: Weihnachts-Oratorium), BWV 248, is an oratorio by Johann Sebastian Bach intended for performance in church during the Christmas season. It was written for the Christmas season of 1734 and incorporates music from earlier compositions, including three secular cantatas written during 1733 and 1734 and a now lost church cantata, BWV 248a. The date is confirmed in Bach's autograph manuscript. The next performance was not until 17 December 1857 by the Sing-Akademie zu Berlin under Eduard Grell. The Christmas Oratorio is a particularly sophisticated example of parody music. The author of the text is unknown, although a likely collaborator was Christian Friedrich Henrici (Picander).

The work belongs to a group of three oratorios written towards the end of Bach's career in 1734 and 1735 for major feasts, the others being the Ascension Oratorio (BWV 11) and the Easter Oratorio (BWV 249). All parody earlier compositions, although the Christmas Oratorio is by far the longest and most complex work.[1]

The oratorio is in six parts, each part being intended for performance on one of the major feast days of the Christmas period. The piece is often presented as a whole or split into two equal parts. The total running time for the entire work is nearly three hours.

The first part (for Christmas Day) describes the Birth of Jesus, the second (for December 26) the annunciation to the shepherds, the third (for December 27) the adoration of the shepherds, the fourth (for New Year's Day) the circumcision and naming of Jesus, the fifth (for the first Sunday after New Year) the journey of the Magi, and the sixth (for Epiphany) the adoration of the Magi.

Noted Bach interpreter, organist and conductor Karl Richter leads the Münchener Bach-Orchester on this vintage and highly regarded 1965 reissue, Richter's second time recording Bach's Christmas Oratorio. Joining the orchestra are four vocalists described as "stunning" by Gramophone: lyric soprano Gundula Janowitz, mezzo-soprano Christa Ludwig, tenor Fritz Karl Otto Wunderlich and bass Franz Crass.

"Fritz Wunderlich had one of the most beautiful lyric tenor voices of the 20th century. How tragic then that he died when he was only 36." (MusicWeb International)

Gundula Janowitz, soprano
Franz Crass, bass
Christa Ludwig, contralto
Fritz Wunderlich, tenor
Münchener Bach-Chor
Münchener Bach-Orchester
Karl Richter, conductor

Digitally remastered

Please Note: we do not offer the 192 kHz version of this album, because there is no audible difference to the 96 kHz version!

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Booklet for Bach, J.S.: Christmas Oratorio, BWV 248 (Remastered)