Sydney Philharmonia Choirs Bach’s CHRISTMAS ORATORIO

Be transported to a world of splendour and grace in this special “Part 2” performance of JS Bach’s magnificent Christmas Oratorio; an uplifting and richly expressive Baroque interpretation of the Nativity story.

On Saturday December 13, this joyous celebration of life and humanity comes alive in a one-off performance conducted by one of Australia’s most accomplished choral conductors, Dr Elizabeth Scott, a renowned Bach specialist, whose background includes three years living, working and studying in southern Germany, immersed in his music.

 

 

Under Scott’s baton, special guest soloists Jacqueline Porter, Hannah Fraser, John Longmuir and Christopher Richardson will take to the stage alongside Sydney Philharmonia’s acclaimed Chamber Singers and the full Sydney Philharmonia Orchestra, for an intoxicating afternoon of Bach’s heavenly music, reminiscent of Europe’s finest concert experiences; albeit with better weather to enjoy a Festive Season pre- or post-concert bevvy overlooking Sydney Harbour.

Bach was at the height of his powers when he composed the six cantatas, written to be performed across six days of church services held during the Lutheran Feast of Christmas – an 18th century equivalent of Netflix binging. These days Bach’s monumental Festive Season favourite is more commonly presented in instalments.

 

 

In 2023 Sydney Philharmonia Choirs Artistic & Music Brett Weymark conducted the Chamber Singers and a stellar cast of soloists in Parts 1–3 in what Limelight described as a triumphant ‘high-altitude assault on Bach’s magic mountain’, transporting the audience from Jesus’ birth – marked by exultant voice, thunderous timpani, and trumpets, to tender scenes in the stable – underscored by the sweet pastoral sounds of flutes and oboes, and the festive arrival of the shepherds.

In 2025 Associate Music Director Elizabeth Scott takes the baton for Parts 4–6 (AKA the highly anticipated Christmas Oratorioseason finale) in which Bach transports us to the gentle naming of the Christ child, and the journey with the Magi – the wise men from the East, who followed the guiding star to the manger in Bethlehem. “And lo, the star, which they had seen in the East, went before them…” sing the choir, in music that is as brilliant and intoxicating as gold, frankincense and myrrh.

 

 

Of course, it wouldn’t be a Sydney Philharmonia Choirs event without the inclusion of some new Australian music and voices. Specially created for this concert, the Bach’s Christmas Oratorio program includes two new commissions for combined orchestra and chorus, written by two emerging Australian composers, announced in April this year as recipients of the inaugural Sydney Philharmonia Choirs Emerging Composer Awards.

Over the past eight months, Sydneysider Phillip Cullen and Adelaide-based Kayla Erin Hinton have benefitted from mentoring from key members of the Choirs’ artistic team and the opportunity to workshop their ideas in live rehearsals, in preparation for their works to premiere in December – performed by the Choirs’ world-class singers and musicians at the iconic Sydney Opera House, as reflective interludes between Bach’s cantatas.

 

 

Cullen:

The sheer brilliance of Bach’s music is something that continues to inspire me the more I study and perform it, so to have a piece programmed alongside such a monumental work of his is a real honour – and a little daunting . His piece draws inspiration (as well as its lyrics and its title) from Rudyard Kipling’s poem A Nativity, first published in 1916.

The poem juxtaposes the sense of hope and peace in the biblical nativity story against the grief and uncertainty of a mother whose son was reported missing at war, the latter of which mirrors Carrie and Rudyard Kipling’s own experience at the time of writing. When setting this text, I tried to create a musical atmosphere that straddles both worlds, to present the idea of Christmas with a sense of ambivalence and bittersweetness. This is perhaps appropriate given that the festivity of Christmas often feels incongruous when considering that which is going on elsewhere in our world.

For Hinton, the Emerging Composer Award represents an “invaluable opportunity for establishing the voices of the next generation of Australian composers” and “an exceptional platform for my own unique voice as an Australian artist to sound loudly, beautifully and proudly”. Her composition is a meditation on the humanity of Jesus Christ, written to frame the sixth and final cantata of Bach’s Christmas Oratorio.

I wanted to write a piece that would prepare the audience to resonate fully with these final scenes. The hero’s journey of surrender seemed a fitting topic to prepare the way for the exaltation and victory at the end of the story. I was also intentional about writing something in a contrasting style to create diversity within the program, drawing from Christmas music traditions and lush textures and harmonies.

If the sell-out audience at Bach’s St Matthew Passion earlier this year, also conducted by Elizabeth Scott, are any indication, it would be wise to book now for the single matinee performance at 2pm Saturday December 13 at Sydney Opera House Concert Hall.

Ticket holders are also invited to a free 30-minute pre-concert talk on the Concert Hall’s Northern Foyer stairs, from 1.15pm, hosted by 2MBS Fine Music presenter Hon Associate Professor Neil McKewan AM, known to many from his 38 years as Director of Music at Sydney’s Christ Church St Laurence (1980-2018).

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Season Details

Venue: Concert Hall
Date: 13 Dec 2025

For more information click HERE