[ Harmonia Mundi / 2 CD Box Set ]
Release Date: Tuesday 14 February 2006
This item is currently out of stock. It may take 6 or more weeks to obtain from when you place your order as this is a specialist product.
"A handsome package matched by a lively interpretation...Superb, richly detailed performances set in a sumptuous acoustic." (BBC Music Magazine, October 2005, ****/*****)
Hard covered deluxe edition with 120 page book.
The Christmas Oratorio is the sublime outcome of a vast project that Bach completed between December 1734 and January 1735. This monumental fresco inspired by the history of the Nativity for narrators, soloists, choirs and orchestra comprises no fewer than six sections, each one a huge cantata. The general tone, reconciling the most daring polyphony with the spirit of Christmas and a moving naiveté, endows this masterpiece with an extraordinary freshness.
Although this Harmonia Mundi recording may still be available in some form, this special edition has been withdrawn.