The Intimacy of the Miraculous in Part 3 of Bach's Christmas Oratorio

Published December 17, 2023 at 6:00 AM EST

On the Bach Hour, the unprecedented, world-changing events of the Christmas story are filtered through one central character in the third of the composer's six-part narrative for the season.

On the program:

Piece d'Orgue, BWV 572 - Wolfgang Rübsam, organ (Metzler organ at St. Michael's Church in Eutin, Germany)

Christmas Oratorio, BWV 248, Part III (translation) - Christine Schäfer, soprano; Bernarda Fink, alto; Werner Güra, tenor (Evangelist); Gerald Finley, bass; Arnold Schoenberg Choir and Concentus Musicus of Vienna, Nikolaus Harnoncourt, conductor

Partita No. 1 in B-flat, BWV 825 - András Schiff, piano