The Christmas Oratorio tells the story of the Nativity with some of Bach’s most evocative music. In Parts 1-3, an opening chorus of irresistible rhythmic drive and remarkable invention, trilling flutes and oboes, heraldic trumpets, thundering drums, and lightning-fast strings are our entrée into Bach’s remarkable fusion of music, narrative, and theology. We also hear impossibly joyful choruses, tender, intimate arias, and a stunning evocation of the shepherds pipes dialoguing across a pastoral scene, with each part scored for soprano, alto, tenor and bass solos.