Bach Christmas Oratorio DVD

Product Description

Please note this is a region 2 DVD & will require a region 2 (Europe) or region Free DVD Player in order to play The Christmas Oratorio Bach&s six-part cantata cycle was presented by The Monteverdi Choir under the direction of John Eliot Gardiner at the Heiderkirche in Weimar in December 2000 as the culmination of a year-long pilgrimage Gardiner&s mission had been to perform Bach&s complete canon of liturgical cantatas in appropriate religious settings to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the composer&s death This is a magical record of a splendid musical occasion Although the Oratorio is seasonal the tale & the manner of its telling repay repeated listening regardless of the time of year The commitment of Gardiner his singers & musicians is deeply moving & is heightened by the splendid Baroque surroundings The story related largely by tenor Christoph Genz is a rich tapestry of musical textures ranging from the celebratory pastoral opening to the poignancy of many of the solo passages (soprano Claron Mc Fadden&s bell-like tones soar in particular) In one of the accompanying brief documentaries Gardiner says that at a time when we&re weighed down with wallpaper music Bach provides a means of escape through his sacred music The proof is in the holistic nature of this piece with its combined senses of nature at work & order represented by the discipline of the music itself of almost mathematical proportions Sublime