DeutschBach created the Christmas Oratorio as a series of six large cantatas, which served as part of festive services in Leipzig churches at the turn of the year 1734/35. The work tells the Christmas story in brief excerpts as it is recorded in the texts of the Gospels of Luke and Matthew in the New Testament. Bach depicts the birth in Bethlehem (cantata 1), the angel's announcement to the shepherds and the instruction to them to seek out the boy in Bethlehem (cantata 2), the shepherds' adoration of the boy (cantata 3), the celebration of the child's circumcision and his naming as Jesus (cantata 4), the arrival of the wise men from the Orient at King Herod's house and his shock when they speak of the newborn King of the Jews (cantata 5) as well as Herod's commission to the wise men to find out Jesus' whereabouts, their silent rejection and subsequent adoration of Jesus (cantata 6). Although performed as a sequence of cantatas, Bach follows a self-contained overall plan, which makes the unifying designation "oratorio" seem appropriate for the six cantatas.
For many people, this music has long been a natural part of the annual festive season. As Christmas approaches, the high time of this truly festive music begins, which does not stop at its "Rejoice, rejoice!" jubilation, but also speaks of the longing for "peace on earth and goodwill towards men", sounding very topical for our times. The Christmas Oratorio can be heard in church services and concerts, on radio and television, on recordings at home or in social gatherings or even when making music. Choirs, orchestras and vocal soloists compete, resulting in a very large number of performances. Due to the overall length of the six cantatas, partial performances have become the norm for concert performances. The compilation of the first three cantatas results in the most frequently performed choral work of all time.
The Berlin Concert Choir will perform four of the six cantatas as its traditional contribution to the festivities.