A Choral Celebration

A brief introduction

This concert brings together festive music from three great composers of the Baroque period.

We start with a burst of energy from Bach’s Wachet auf (1731). The piece was composed to be performed on the last Sunday before Advent and is full of palpable anticipation.

Next we move into the high drama of Vivaldi’s Gloria (circa 1715), a celebratory exaltation of God, traditionally performed as part of the Latin mass. It opens with a flourish: strident trumpets and scurrying strings, before the excited chorus joins in. It is an exuberant work, drawing on Vivaldi’s extensive experience writing music for the opera house, even if its text is sacred. Across 12 short movements it traverses varied emotional terrain, one moment proclaiming God’s greatness, and the next fretfully recalling the sins of the world.

After the interval, we put the spotlight on the orchestral musicians of the Glyndebourne Sinfonia as they perform Corelli’s Christmas Concerto Grosso No.8 in G minor (circa 1690), which was written for performance on Christmas Eve. Its festive flavour comes from the closing Pastorale, recreating the adoration of the shepherds with bagpipes and fiddles.

The concert concludes with the first part of Bach’s Christmas Oratorio (1734), which retells the nativity story. The piece announces the Christmas season with trumpets, drums and a blast of choral power. A single tenor then takes up the story, painted with vivid vocal and instrumental colours.

If you love singing and want to explore Vivaldi’s Gloria in more depth, we will be hosting a choral masterclass before the performance on 13 December.

Why not to miss this concert

This is the chance to see the acclaimed Glyndebourne Chorus taking on traditional Christmas choral works with accompaniment from the Glyndebourne Sinfonia, who have their own moment to shine in Corelli’s orchestral gem. Lovers of Baroque choral music will enjoy hearing the threads and influences that run throughout the programme.

This is the perfect complement to our Christmas Concert of carols and opera highlights – why not have a Glyndebourne Christmas and come to both?

A great moment to look out for

The Christmas Oratorio starts with a joyful procession. The drums call everyone to attention, followed by a festive flourish from the flutes. Strings then burst into life with a glittering cascade – like streamers from party poppers – joined by exultant brass fanfares, heralding the miracle of Christ’s birth.

‘Shout for joy! Exalt! Praise the day!’, the chorus proclaims in one voice, sharing the melody – Christmas is a time for coming together, after all. Each part in turns implores us to banish all hesitation and worry, as if at a bustling seasonal party, before coming together again to celebrate the power of singing: ‘Raise your voices with joy and exaltation!’

Written by Benjamin Poore & Andrew Batty