Hong Kong Sinfonietta will bring the world-renowned WDR Rundfunkchor Köln from Germany to Hong Kong for the first time for two concerts on 1 and 2 December at Hong Kong City Hall. They will perform Bach’s Christmas Oratorio alongside four leading soloists under the baton of Music Director Christoph Poppen. This project is part of Goethe-Institut HK’s 60th anniversary celebration this year.
WDR Rundfunkchor Köln
The WDR Radio Choir is a professional ensemble of 43 singers from the WDR broadcast studio in Cologne, Germany. Their repertoire ranges from mediaeval music to contemporary compositions and they specialise on innovative and demanding a cappella and instrumental projects, bringing music of the highest difficulty to life.
The choir performs a cappella concerts as well as symphonic orchestral works, soloistic vocal music, film and computer game music, opera and contemporary experimental works. They are regularly invited to sing with nationally and internationally renowned orchestras.
Their programmes include more than 170 world premieres by Schönberg, Henze, Stockhausen, Nono, Boulez, Zimmermann, Penderecki, Xenakis, Berio, Höller, Eötvös, Hosokawa, Pagh-Paan, Zender, Tüür, Mundry and many more.
For their première in Hong Kong, they will perform one of the most monumental large-scale sacred works of Johann Sebastian Bach, Christmas Oratorio, which is rarely performed with such a starry line-up in Hong Kong. They will be singing alongside four leading soloists from Germany: Carolina Ullrich (Soprano), Ulrike Malotta (Alto), Patrick Grahl (Tenor) and Jonas Müller (Bass), under the baton of Hong Kong Sinfonietta’s Music Director Christoph Poppen.
The Christmas Oratorio (Weihnachtsoratorium in German) is a six-part oratorio composed by Johann Sebastian Bach in 1734 for two Leipzig churches, St. Thomas and St. Nicholas, for which he served as music director. The work was performed over the 13 days of the Christmas period on six specific days, between Christmas Day and the feast of Epiphany. It is by far the longest, lasting nearly three hours, and the most complex among Bach’s large-scale choral works.
Johann Sebastian Bach and his manuscript, Credit: Classical.org
The story begins with the birth of Jesus (Christmas Day). The second and third parts feature the shepherds (26 and 27 December). The fourth part describes the naming and circumcision of Jesus (New Year’s Day). The fifth and sixth parts describe the Three Kings, or Magi (first Sunday after New Year and Epiphany). At the concerts, the first three parts from this work will be performed, forming something of a stand-alone whole within the overall scheme.
No wonder why Christoph Poppen decided to include the oratorio for the orchestra’s festive season concerts. As he told us: “Christmas Oratorio is one of the greatest works by Johann Sebastian Bach, and certainly one of the nicest ways to welcome Christmas time. We are blessed to have one of the best European radio choirs and four wonderful young soloists joining us. And the concert will show the orchestra from a completely different side. I am sure that we all are going to enjoy this divine music and these great artists immensely.”
More details about the concerts can be found here: Christmas Oratorio.
Tickets can be purchased here: https://www.urbtix.hk/event-detail/10820/
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