Christmas Oratorio
This recording, nominated for a 2001 Grammy, documents as fine a performance ofJ.S. Bach'sChristmas Oratorioas can be found in the catalog. Led byHelmuth Rilling, it is a vibrant, stylistically informed modern-instrument account in the noble tradition of Karl Richter, featuring smashingly good orchestral playing and superb singing from both the chorus and a first-rate group of soloists. Recorded live in Stuttgart from Christmas Day 1999 to Epiphany (January 6) 2000--the precise period in the liturgical calendar for which Bach composed the six cantatas that make up this work--it was issued late in 2000 as Vol. 76 ofHänssler's Bachakademie Complete Bach Edition, one of the final installments in that monumental, and utterly complete, tribute to Bach's genius.James Taylor is a gentle and ingratiating Evangelist, as befits the story being told, and all four soloists--soprano Sibylla Rubens, mezzo Ingeborg Danz, tenor Marcus Ullmann, and bass Hanno Müller-Brachmann--do Distinguished work in the arias. The sound is excellent. The only real flaw here is the mislabeling of discs 2 and 3: CD 2 contains Parts 3 and 4 of the oratorio (not 5 and 6), and CD 3 contains Parts 5 and 6 (not 2 and 3). Listeners should simply ignore the labeling and play the music. In short, this is the new top choice among modern-instrument recordings of theChristmas Oratorio. Rilling and his forces could scarcely have brought the Edition Bachakademie to a better conclusion.--Ted Libbey