Bach - Christmas Oratorio (Weihnachtsoratorium)
by Nikolaus Harnoncourt
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Actor: Concentus Musicus Opera, Peter Schreier, Robert Holl, Tolzer KnabenchorDirector: Nikolaus Harnoncourt
Brand: Universal Studios
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown); German (Subtitled); English (Subtitled); Spanish (Subtitled); French (Subtitled); German (Original Language), DTS 5.1; English (Original Language); French (Original Language); Spanish (Original Language); Mandarin Chinese (Original Language)
Format: Classical, Color, DTS Surround Sound, DVD, NTSC, Subtitled
Picture Format: 1.33:1
Running Time: 153 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2005-11-22
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: Deutsche Grammophon
DVD Reviews of Bach - Christmas Oratorio (Weihnachtsoratorium)
DVD Review: Another great recording Bach & Harnoncourt.
Summary: 4 Stars
Finally I have watched and listened Christmas Oratorio conducted by Nikolaus Harnoncourt, one of the performances I always wanted to know of this piece, not very easy to perform correctly as it shows the fact of there're not many convincing versions available.
The DVD is part of the Unitel legacy that Deutsche Grammophon is releasing (together with other jewel like Mahler's Symphonies conducted by Bernstein). It's clearly in the style of other Unitel's films and it tells us about the `70s & `80s way of shooting and editing. In this sense the film is based on takes from the concert, very well done, and some other images of the Christmas time: Holy Family, the Virgin, Trees, Stars, snow, some pictures of the church... All this put together with the music makes it more atmospheric and linked to what the music celebrates, that's Christmas time.
As an early `80s recording, the playing on authentic instruments and the style it's not the very clean, clear, fresh and prefect we can listen today to quite all the authentic instruments ensembles: Musika Antiqua Köln, Collegium Gent, Collegium Bach Japan, Café Zimmermann... or even the own Concentus Musicus Wienn nowadays, as you can listen in their last recordings: Bach's Passions, Mozart's Requiem, Haydn's Schöpfung, Haydn's Paris Symphonies... I really think Concentus Musicus has grown very much in their technique and musicality in the last decade and even this performance is very, very good I think they could make it even better today. In this recording I find specially wonderfully played the woodwinds, beautifully taken by the sound engineers.
What it's wonderful is watching Nikolaus Harnoncourt conducting and singing quite all the cantatas, following very, very concentrated the full performance. I really find him and Reinhard Goebel as the most inspiring Bach conductors and he shows himself in this DVD as the great Bach knower and conductor he is.
The voices are very good, specially Peter Schreier, that great singer, even I would prefer women's voices because of the immature style of the children for some parts of the cantatas. Of course this very complex option has the chance of recreating a period in which children used to sang this parts as the woman were sometimes apart of the Christian liturgy. Anyway, in the present times I think this Oratorio is much more sung by women, something I like more. The choirs are very good and the general value of the sung parts is very good but not outstanding like it could be Rene Jacobs version for Harmonia Mundi, in which we can listen really glorious voices, like the own Andreas Scholl as countertenor or the wonderful Dorothea Röschmann. Two years ago I've listened live in my hometown Herreweghe conducting this Oratorio with female voices too and again I think they do it little better than children even if the children are so great singers like these.
As I wrote above, the visual part is very interesting and well directed, even the costumes are a little kitsch, dressing everyone like priests. Anyway, I think it could be the best performance available on DVD today, as I don't use to like completely Gardiner's Bach recordings, even his recordings are very good too.
If I have to chose one recording of Christmas Oratorio I have no doubts about Rene Jacobs' one for Harmonia Mundi, an outstanding version.
Description of Bach - Christmas Oratorio (Weihnachtsoratorium)
BACH:CHRISTMAS ORATORIO - DVD MovieClassical Music CDs
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