This Week in Classical Music: December 30, 2019.New Year Celebrations.We often celebrate this season by playing parts of Bach’s Christmas Oratorio, one of the greatest creations in the history of Western music.We already presented the first four parts of the Oratorio in years past, so today it’s to Part V, which is also known as Cantata Ehre sei dir, Gott, gesungen BWV 248 V (the title means “Let honor be sung to You, O God” in German, V signifies the part number in the Oratorio).This music was composed by Bach directly for the occasion, rather than recycled from his older cantatas.A calendar quirk is associated with this particular section of the Oratorio: it should be performed on the first Sunday of the New Year but before the feast day of the Epiphany, which is celebrated on January 6th; in some years – for example, 2019 – there is no such day.In 2020, though, it falls on January 5th, so it’s quite proper for us to play it this week.Here it is in the performance by the New London Consort, Philip Pickett conducting.We like this recording (it was made in 1997) but have to mention that Mr. Pickett is currently serving a 11-year sentence for rape and sexual assault of pupils at the Guildhall School of Music, where he was a teaching fellow.
The picture above is called A Woman playing a Clavichord, it was made around 1665 (70 years before Christmas Oratorio was first performed) by one of the Dutch painters of the Golden Age, Gerard Dou.
Celebrating New Year 2020
This Week in Classical Music: December 30, 2019. New Year Celebrations. We often celebrate this season by playing parts of Bach’s Christmas Oratorio, one of the greatest creations
in the history of Western music. We already presented the first four parts of the Oratorio in years past, so today it’s to Part V, which is also known as Cantata Ehre sei dir, Gott, gesungen BWV 248 V (the title means “Let honor be sung to You, O God” in German, V signifies the part number in the Oratorio). This music was composed by Bach directly for the occasion, rather than recycled from his older cantatas. A calendar quirk is associated with this particular section of the Oratorio: it should be performed on the first Sunday of the New Year but before the feast day of the Epiphany, which is celebrated on January 6th; in some years – for example, 2019 – there is no such day. In 2020, though, it falls on January 5th, so it’s quite proper for us to play it this week. Here it is in the performance by the New London Consort, Philip Pickett conducting. We like this recording (it was made in 1997) but have to mention that Mr. Pickett is currently serving a 11-year sentence for rape and sexual assault of pupils at the Guildhall School of Music, where he was a teaching fellow.
The picture above is called A Woman playing a Clavichord, it was made around 1665 (70 years before Christmas Oratorio was first performed) by one of the Dutch painters of the Golden Age, Gerard Dou.