Bach,J.S. / Matt / Nordic Chamber Choir - Christmas Chorals - COMPACT DISCS [CD]

J.S. Bach' famous Magnificat and that of his son Carl Philipp Emanuel were the templates for the teenage Mendelssohn' first major work for soloists, chorus and full orchestra, a brilliant setting of the Blessed Virgin Mary' song of praise.

Founded in 1981 by James Wood, New London Chamber Choir is one of Europe's foremost vocal ensembles. It has given many world and British premières and, under it's current musical director, Matthew Hamilton, continues to commission and promote new work. New London Chamber Choir has enjoyed close working relationships with composers including Jonathan Harvey, Mauricio Kagel, György Kurtág, György Ligeti, Toru Takemitsu, and Iannis Xenakis - several of whom have written works especially for it. NLCC has worked with ensembles including Ensemble InterContemporain, London Sinfonietta, Champ d'Action, Ictus, Amadinda, Raschèr Saxophone Quartet, Kreutzer Quartet and Percussive Rotterdam, as well as the Michael Clark, Mark Morris and Rambert dance companies and Ivan Putrov's Men in Motion. This new album features the finest Renaissance choral polyphonic music from the Low Countries.

Bach's Christmas Oratorio consists of six cantatas, the first of which was first performed at Christmas in 1734 at the town church of Leipzig, the Nikolaikirche, in the morning, with an afternoon performance at the Tomaskirche. The second part was performed on 26th December, in the morning at the Tomaskirche and in the afternoon at the Nikolaikirche, while the third was performed only at the Nikolaikirche on 27th December. The fourth part was performed first on 1st January 1735, the Feast of the Circumcision, at the Tomaskirche and in the afternoon at the Nikolaikirche, while the fifth for the first Sunday of the New Year, 2nd January, was only performed in the morning at the Nikolaikirche. The sixth part was given two performances on 6th January, the Feast of the Epiphany, first at the Tomaskirche and then at the larger Nikolaikirche. Although the work makes considerable use of music originally composed for other purposes, the cycle was clearly conceived as a unified work, to which the elaboration of the first chorale at the end of the sixth part bears witness. The impression is enforced by choice of keys and formal structure, in spite of the original intention of performance of each part on a different day during the twelve days of Christmas. The first three parts deal with Christmas itself, the birth of Christ and the message to the shepherds at Bethlehem. The Evangelist intervenes only once in the fourth part to mention the circumcision and naming of Jesus. In the fifth are the reactions of the Wise Men to Bethlehem, their departure ending the Evangelist's account. The instruments used in the Christmas Oratorio include the ubiquitous four part string orchestra, with a keyboard continuo part for organ, the bass line doubled by cello and bassoon. Transverse flutes, rather than recorders, are used in some movements while the oboes used include pairs of ordinary oboes