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Saturday 16 December 2017

7.00pm

(1st half 55 minutes, interval 20 minutes, 2nd half 50 minutes, concert ends at 9.15pm; please note earlier than usual start time)

The Church of St Peter and St Paul, Lavenham

Bach:  Christmas Oratorio

Fae Evelyn soprano

Valerie Reid mezzo-soprano

William Wallace tenor

Tom Asher baritone

Bury Bach Choir

Suffolk Baroque Players

Philip Reed conductor

Bach and Christmas were made for each other. In a stream of festive choruses, chorales and arias, with some of the loveliest orchestral colours to be found in all Baroque music, Bach’s glorious oratorio is a life-giving, joy-enhancing experience – the perfect way to start your Christmas celebrations.

Bach composed the six parts of his Christmas Oratorio for performance as part of the Lutheran liturgy during the Christmas period 1734–5, beginning on Christmas Day and ending on the Feast of the Epiphany (6 January). We shall perform four parts: Parts 1-3, which describe Jesus’s birth, the announcement of his birth to the shepherds, and the shepherds’ adoration in the stable; and Part 6, which relates the story of Herod’s questioning of the Magi and the Holy Family’s flight to Egypt.

For this performance in the atmospheric surroundings of Lavenham Church, we are joined by the period instruments of the Suffolk Baroque Players and a stellar quartet of soloists, including international mezzo-soprano and Bury Bach Choir co-president Valerie Reid.

Drinks will be available during the interval.

Booking opens 4 September 2017

Tickets £20 and £15 (all seats unreserved)

Early booking discount £1 off all tickets booked by 18 November 2017

Tickets also available for cash from

Lavenham Tourist Office, Lady Street, Lavenham and

Lion House Gallery, High Street, Lavenham