Christmas with the Netherlands Radio Choir: Saint-Saëns' Christmas Oratorio

The Netherlands Radio Choir sings Saint-Saëns' lyrical Christmas Oratorio. Vasily Petrenko conducts the choir and the Radio Philharmonic Orchestra further in a heartfelt mass by Schubert. The start of a sparkling Christmas season!

Christmas with Saint-Saëns' Christmas Oratorio

Saint-Saëns may have been organist of the Paris Madeleine, but that did not mean he was a fan of too much religious ceremony. Perhaps that is why his Christmas oratorio is so 'human': simple but moving. Saint-Saëns begins his oratorio with a prelude in the style of Bach, who was not very common at the time. A beautiful homage that could not be more Christmassy.

NetherlandsRadio Choir

Saint-Saëns' lyrical Christmas oratorio will be sung by the Groot Omroepkoor. Among the soloists is the mezzo-soprano Iris van Wijnen. Her 'dazzling performance of virtuosity' was praised by The Telegraph. Tenor Alessandro Fisher was deemed 'an engaging storyteller' by Opera Today and Bachtrack praised the warm timbre of alto Claudia Huckle. Leading the choir and the Radio Philharmonic Orchestra is Vasily Petrenko. 'You don't need words to understand classical music', he told Classic FM. 'It's a direct connection from heart to heart.' That certainly holds true for today's opening work, Schubert's heartfelt Mass in G. The start of a sparkling Christmas season.