Christmas Oratorio Bach Akademie

It is fashionable to marginalise European composers of the past, but Bach’s music still electrifies and BAA is doing invaluable work keeping his brilliance alive.

City Recital Hall, Sydney

Reviewed on 8 November, 2024

by Shamistha de Soysa on 9 November, 2024

Never shy of a challenge, the Bach Akademie Australia, directed by Madeleine Easton, presents J S Bach’s Christmas Oratorio in a single monumental performance. The six cantatas which comprise this ‘oratorio’ were conceived as one piece but were performed individually in church services over several days, premiering on Christmas Day in 1734 and ending at Epiphany on 6 January 1735.

The BAA’s historically informed rendition is performed by an expert and neatly balanced ensemble of 13 singers and 23 period instrumentalists comprising luxury casting of two keyboards and a treasury of strings, brass and woodwind, including oboes d’amore and oboes da caccia, not forgetting the indispensable timpani.

Together, the cantatas trace the story of the nativity. The first three cantatas are symmetrically constructed and performed on consecutive days, from the birth of Jesus in Part I, the annunciation to the shepherds in Part II on 26 December and the adoration of the shepherds in Part III on 27 December.

Part IV is performed on New Year’s Day, commemorating the naming of Jesus, Part V on the first Sunday after New Year describing the journey of the Magi and Part VI, recounting the adoration of the Magi.

Today, the traditions of the Christmas Oratorio continue in churches around Europe, as I experienced at Dresden’s Frauenkirche one Christmas. In Australia it is rare to hear it in its entirety whether in church or in concert, making this presentation a singular delight for fans and a testament to the dedication of founding Artistic Director Easton and her ensemble in realising this project.

Written for congregational worship, the chorales are straightforward enough. However, the  choruses, recitatives, arias, ensembles and instrumental parts call on virtuosic abilities well met by the performers.

Madeleine Easton Conducts Bach Akademie Australia in Christmas Oratorio. Photo © David Hooley

Opening with a celebratory chorus of indecorous joy, the ensemble maintains this mood through Parts I, III and VI. This contagious excitement can so easily give way to excess. However, Easton’s judicious pacing maintains the definition of detail, the accents of the delicate dance rhythms and sobriety of the chorales which are continually driven forward when they can so easily become weighed down. Easton’s direction is sensitive to singers’ phrasing and support from the continuo section is secure but unobtrusive.

The mood of Part II is dialled right down, opening with the gently rocking Sinfonia. The shepherds are depicted in a pastoral dialogue between the strings and the woodwinds. Part IV welcomes the horns; Part V is distinguished by its fugal opening chorus and Part VI sees the trumpets return to the stage with its grand finale and a return to elements from the first cantata.

The choir pares back the columnar chords of the chorales to lighten the choruses with their melismatic passages and well delineated counterpoint. Phrasing, glottal stops and consonants are all recruited to a well-articulated rendition of the German text. English surtitles maintain focus on the stage and avoid the need to keep dipping in to the program for reference. The program notes by Bach scholar John Butt are well worth reading.

Tenor Andrew Goodwin as the Evangelist is a compelling narrator conveying the drama, tenderness and mystery of the Nativity with silken tones and a gorgeous upper register. It is always a joy to see Simone Slattery lead the orchestra with her noble stance and the pride with which she performs her role.

However, credit for the biggest workloads go to alto Hannah Fraser and oboist Adam Masters. Fraser performs as both choral alto and sole alto soloist with no hint of fatigue in her warm-toned voice after nearly three hours of singing. Her account of the lullaby Schlafe Mein Liebster is especially polished. Adam Masters provides an elegant and virtuosic oboe line both within the orchestra and in numerous smaller combinations with the singers.

Soprano Bonnie de la Hunty’s ‘echo’ aria, Flößt, mein Heiland with Masters and off-stage contributions from soprano Susannah Lawergren as the ‘echo’ and oboist Kailen Cresp, vividly evokes the intimate dialogue of affirmation with God.

Other memorable moments include Richard Fomison’s thrilling trumpet playing, bass Thomas Flint’s stentorian aria Großer Herr, tenor Timothy Reynolds’ animated Ich will nur dir zu Ehren leben and bass David Greco’s sense of theatre as exponent of the many bass recitatives. Susannah Lawergren performs a delicately phrased Nur ein Wink von seinen Händen.

There are occasional moments when the solo singing is underpowered and the tempi get the better of clarity. Nonetheless, this is an exceptional performance by an exceptional ensemble. It is fashionable to marginalise European composers of the past, disregarding the merit of their work.

Bach’s music has stood the test of time of over three centuries and still electrifies. It has crossed genres, is invaluable learning material and featured in inestimable performances and recordings. It embodies history, politics, science, art, humanity and spirituality. The BAA is doing invaluable work in keeping this brilliance alive.