ORATÓRIA DE NATAL II

Orquestra Barroca Casa da Música Coro Casa da Música Laurence Cummings musical direction   Johann Sebastian Bach Oratória de Natal (Cantatas 4, 5 e 6)   The city of Leipzig had its 1734/35 Christmas season enriched by what would become one of the most important sacred works in history. Over six days, in the Igrejas de São Tomé e São Nicolau, six cantatas marked the religious festivities of that German city. The second concert that Casa da Música devotes to Bach's Oratória de Natal is led by the Orquestra Barroca and the Coro, in a performance that may come close to the sounds heard at the time. It includes the last three cantatas of this cycle, originally performed from the New Year onwards, dedicated to the circumcision of Jesus, the journey of the Magi and their adoration of the Child.