Bach through Christmas...

[Roehre]

Not mentioned yet, but Bach's organ works

Wie schön leuchtet der Morgenstern BWV 739
Wie schön leuchtet der Morgenstern BWV 763
In dulci jubilo BWV 729
Vom Himmel hoch da komm’ ich her BWV 738
Canonische Veränderungen über das Weihnachtslied Vom Himmel hoch da komm’ ich her BWV 769

are meant for Christmas as well

(and of course there is Stravinsky's version of the Canonische Veränderungen too)

[jean]

Has anyone heard the new Hyperion Stephen Layton/OAE Christmas Oratorio yet?

No, but I heard them live at SJSS last night and I thought they were wonderful.

Of the soloists, Iestyn Davies and James Gilchrist were sublime. I didn't greatly care for Katherine Watson's voice.

(I wonder what it added that the choir sang without scores?)

[Karafan]

I stumbled on this site today which I think other Boarders may well enjoy......http://www.jsbachcantatas.com/index.htm

Merry Christmas to all my fellow music lovers, and may 2014 bring you all you wish for yourselves!

[Roehre]

I stumbled on this site today which I think other Boarders may well enjoy......http://www.jsbachcantatas.com/index.htm

Nice site. But nevertheless an important question: How good and/or up-to-date can a Bach-devoted website be without ANY use of / referring to other than exclusively English literature / research (even taken in account the translations of [especially] Dürr and Schweitzer?
I only have to refer to the Bach-Lexikon (Laaber, 1999) or the 6 volume Bach-Handbuch (Laaber, 1999-2012) only to mention two (multi-volume) works which offer the latest information re the Cantatas. And then there is Ton Koopman's 3 volume study (co-authored by Wolff, btw)

[jean]

Ten minutes into this morning's Breakfast, you can hear a splendidly rousing Ehre sei dir, Gott from the Christmas Oratorio in the recording by Robert King and the King's Consort:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b03lzc2p/Breakfast_Wednesday_Clemency_BurtonHill/