St Albans Bach Choir Christmas Oratorio

St Albans Bach Choir’s next concert, in the run-up to Advent and the festive season, is the Christmas Oratorio by J S Bach. This great masterpiece was written by the spiritual Johann Sebastian to celebrate the episodes of the Nativity, from birth to the arrival of the Magi. The work has always been a popular favourite with both concert audiences and church-goers alike. Featuring some of Bach’s most spectacular orchestration, it uses traditional passages from the Gospels interspersed with arias and choruses to tell the story of Christ’s birth. The choir will perform four of the six self-contained but linked cantatas which were first heard in Leipzig in 1734 to celebrate the feast days of the Christmas season.

Soloists joining us on the night include tenor Sean Clayton who will sing the narrative role of the Evangelist; Sean has previously appeared at Glyndebourne and the BBC Proms and also performs regularly with Les Arts Florissants. Soprano Elizabeth Cragg also makes a welcome return to the Cathedral; featuring at the Proms this summer, she has previously appeared at the Royal Opera House and is a regular performer with The Sixteen, as is countertenor Richard Wyn Roberts, a founder member of I Fagiolini. With a first class line-up of soloists, our regular orchestra Sinfonia Verdi on baroque instruments conducted by our Music Director, Andrew Lucas, this is a concert not to be missed.

We hope you will be able to join us at 7.30pm on Saturday 16 November in St Albans Cathedral. Tickets are available online, by phone or from the Cathedral Information Desk – see the flyer below for details.

St Albans Bach Choir Christmas Oratorio 16-Nov-2013