Bach: Weihnachtsoratorium by Bach, J. S., Od (2023/2023), Dirigent Masaaki Suzuki, Kölner Philharmonie, Cologne, Germany

It's as much a part of Christmas as Stollen and the Christmas tree: Johann Sebastian Bach's "Christmas Oratorio." With Masaaki Suzuki, one of the most prominent Bach conductors of our time will be at the podium, who has been showered with awards for his numerous Bach recordings. The recording of the Bach cantatas - an incredible 55 CDs, created over a period of almost 20 years - is considered one of the reference recordings. And the Japanese conductor, a Bach obsessive in the very best sense of the word, also dealt intensively with Bach's masses, passions and oratorios. Right at the beginning of the “Christmas Oratorio,” the proverbial timpani and trumpets create a great holiday atmosphere, and even afterwards the Christmas story is told with rousing choirs and trumpet-filled arias.