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© Opéra de Monte-Carlo
Bach, Christmas Oratorio
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 August 2026 | ||||||
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Oratorio (cantatas I to III)
Music by Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)
Texts from the Gospel according to Luke 2:6-20
Additional texts by Christian Friedrich Henrici, Johann Rist, Paul Gerhardt, Martin Luther and Christoph Runge
Premiere: Leipzig, St. Nicholas and St. Thomas churches, 25-27 december 1734
Since the middle of the 20th century, the Christmas Oratorio has become one of Bach’s most popular works in German speaking countries, performed both in concert and within religious ceremonies during the holiday season at the end of the year. Originally, the six parts were played between Christmas morning 1734 and Epiphany 1735 in the corresponding services at the Lutheran churches of St Thomas and St Nicholas in Leipzig. In the meantime it has become common, however, to present them all in a sequence, in our case the first three…
The Christmas Oratorio tells us about the first days in Christ’s life (in parts I-III, His birth, the arrival of the shepherds and their adoration). Structurally, it bears strong similarities with Bach’s famous Passions: a well-balanced mix of recitatives, contemplative arias, religious anthems and elaborate choruses, all sung in German. Our production adds a completely new century and style to the concert repertoire of the Chorus of the Opéra de Monte-Carlo, while also shedding a different light onto our period instrument orchestra Les Musiciens du Prince and chief conductor Gianluca Capuano.
Program and cast
Conductor | Gianluca Capuano
Choirmaster | Stefano Visconti
Soprano | Regula Mühlemann
Alto | Anna Stephany
Tenor | Daniel Behle
Bass | Kartal Karagedik
Choir of the Opéra de Monte-Carlo
Les Musiciens du Prince – Monaco
Opera de Monte Carlo
The Opéra de Monte-Carlo is an opera house which is part of the Monte Carlo Casino located in the Principality of Monaco.
With the lack of cultural diversions available in Monaco in the 1870s, Prince Charles III, along with the Société des bains de mer, decided to include a concert hall as part of the casino. The main public entrance to the hall was from the casino, while Charles III's private entrance was on the western side. It opened in 1879 and became known as the Salle Garnier, after the architect Charles Garnier, who designed it.
During the renovation of the Salle Garnier in 2004–05, the company presented operas at the Salle des Princes in the local Grimaldi Forum, a modern conference and performance facility where Les Ballets de Monte Carlo and the Monte-Carlo Philharmonic Orchestra regularly perform.
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