Overture Pre-Concert Conversations with the Philharmonia Chorale
Join members of the Chorale 45 minutes before each concert for conversations on the joyous experience of returning to singing and working with Music Director Richard Egarr.
Performance at a Glance Bach’s tidy mind was naturally drawn to large forms neatly divisible into modular parts—structures whose individual sections could stand alone, but would resonate more when brought together or treated as a single cycle or journey. In 1734, Bach turned his mind to one such project. He designed an oratorio in six parts, the performance of which would span the two weeks from Christmas to Epiphany. So, Bach’s so-called Christmas Oratorio, rather like Wagner’s Der Ring des Nibelungen—would not originally have been heard in one sitting. Its opening chapter was performed on Christmas Day, 1734, with Parts 2 and 3 following on the 26th and 27th of December. Part 4 was performed on New Year’s Day, Part 5 on the following Sunday, and Part 6 on the Feast of the Epiphany (6 January).
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PHILHARMONIA BAROQUE ORCHESTRA & CHORALE
