The New Yorker | Goings on About Town | “Christmas Oratorio”
The chamber ensemble TENET Vocal Artists brings out the rhythmic verve and sinewy melodies of Baroque choral music by performing it with only a few singers for each voice part, even in large-scale works. This year, it partners with a midsize early-music band to present selections from Bach’s infrequently heard German-language “Christmas Oratorio,” which marks the major feast days—Christmas and Epiphany among them—with jubilant choruses, brass fanfares, and tender arias. It’s no replacement for Handel’s “Messiah”—which has the “Hallelujah” chorus and an English libretto on its side—but the “Christmas Oratorio” is the more thorough exploration and glorification of the season.