DVD:
Monteverdi Choir performs Christmas Oratorio

The Monteverdi Choir under the baton of Sir John Eliot Gardiner performs J. S. Bach’s Christmas Oratorio.

In the historic Weimar Herder Church Sir John Eliot Gardiner finds the perfect setting for his recording of the Bach Christmas Oratorio. Against the backdrop of the dramatic altar and Lucas Granach paintings, the Monteverdi Choir and the English Baroque Soloists perform Gardiner’s new interpretation of this classic piece. For the renowned conductor, this Weimar concert is a special performance, marking the start of his Bach Cantata Pilgrimage. With this new interpretation of the Christmas Oratorio, Gardiner shows himself once again to be an incontestable specialist of Bach’s music.

The recording is topped off with the documentaries “J.S. Bach: Jauchzet, frohlocket! An Introduction to the Christmas Oratorio” and “Bach revisited – J.E. Gardiner in Saxony and Thuringia”.

Also available on Blu-ray.

Original title Bach: Christmas Oratorio BWV 248
Genre Choral Music
Recording location Herder Church, Weimar, DE
Production year 1999
Duration 194 mins (142 mins (Oratorio), 52 mins (Documentary))
Video format NTSC 16:9
Audio format PCM Stereo, Dolby Digital 5.1, dts-HD Master Audio
Distribution DVD EuroArts Music International GmbH
Composer J. S. Bach
English title of music work Christmas Oratorio BWV 248 Cantatas I – VI
Conductor Sir John Eliot Gardiner
Choir Monteverdi Choir, English Baroque Soloists
Soloist Claron McFadden (soprano), Bernarda Fink (alto), Christoph Genz (tenor) Dietrich Henschel (bass)