Christmas Oratorio

April 21, 2005

What took congregations in Leipzig six days to hear? The answer is the Christmas Oratorio, which is comprised of six individual cantatas to be performed on six of the twelve days of the liturgical Christmas season, which extends from Christmas Day to Epiphany. The narrative in the first half is based on Luke 2:1-20. The second half continues the story a few days later, so that the text is divided naturally into two halves. Helmuth Rilling and the Oregon Bach Festival are taking advantage of Bach’s grand design to present to you a very unique program on June 26th. We’re going to give you two shows in one day, dividing the piece in half and slipping a two-hour intermission in-between.

Our strategy behind this unusual format is to give audiences a few options: come to the first concert, or the second, or see both shows and get a deal. Either way, you get to see Helmuth Rilling conduct Bach in Silva Hall for as little as $14. If you buy the whole performance package, the two-hour break allows you plenty of time for a stroll through downtown Eugene and a light dinner between shows.

What would Bach think of this crazy idea? Well, we did our research and found there is no question that he designed the oratorio as a whole. However, he himself conducted a performance of its parts on the six days of Christmas in 1734. Therefore, our presentation of the entire oratorio at once (more or less) is completely in accord with Bach’s larger plan.

The six cantatas of the Christmas Oratorio were written to be performed during the twelve days of the liturgical Christmas season. The first cantata centers on the birth of Jesus; the second, the proclamation to the shepherds; third details the shepherds at the manger. The fourth cantata (assigned to the first day of the new year) the circumcision and naming of Jesus, the fifth’s topic is the wise men and Herod, and the final chorus of the sixth cantata tells of the adoration of the wise men. Each cantata is freestanding, capturing the joyous genius that is Bach. Come celebrate the unity of these wondrous pieces, and the delight of Christmas in summertime.