Norwood Teacher to Perform in Handel & Haydn's 'Bach Christmas'

From Handel and Haydn Society: Handel and Haydn Society closes out 2016 with Bach Christmas, conducted by Associate Conductor Ian Watson. Featuring works by J.S. Bach, Telemann, and Graupner, H+H’s beloved holiday tradition returns with these sparkling Baroque delights written for the season, performed with the verve and vividness that only H+H’s Orchestra and Chorus can bring. The concerts take place on Thursday, December 15 (7:30pm) and Sunday, December 18 (3pm) at New England Conservatory’s Jordan Hall, located at 30 Gainsborough Street in Boston. Tickets range from $28-113 and may be purchased by calling (617) 266-3605, visiting handelandhaydn.org, and in person at 9 Harcourt Street in Boston (M-F 10am-6pm). Student and group discounts are available.

H+H Associate Conductor Ian Watson “I am delighted that Ian Watson, our Associate Conductor, is directing this year's Bach Christmas,” shares H+H’s Artistic Director Harry Christophers. “Ian's love of Bach's music shows through in his enlightened interpretations of this great master. Ian spent many years as Sir John Eliot Gardiner's most trusted continuo player and played on numerous of those benchmark recordings of Bach's cantatas. I admire greatly Ian's artistry and his ability to bring the best out of the instrumentalists and singers under him. In his hands, this programme promises to be both joyous and revelatory.”

“The Bach Christmas concerts comprise cantatas for Advent and Christmas by Bach and Christoph Graupner plus an instrumental item by Telemann,” shares H+H Associate Conductor Ian Watson. “The connection and interest here, apart from the gorgeous music, is they were all candidates for the same job as Cantor of St. Thomas's Leipzig. Both Telemann and Graupner studied at the University of Leipzig.

Telemann became well known in the city, often composing music for St. Thomas's. He ended up in Hamburg and applied for the job in Leipzig on the death of Johann Kuhnau in 1722. He was accepted, but then declined as his employers in Hamburg offered him a raise. Graupner studied at the University of Leipzig and also with Johann Kuhnau, Cantor of St. Thomas's. Graupner left Leipzig for Hamburg where he played as harpsichordist in the same orchestra as a young Handel! He then got a job as Kapellmeister in Darmstadt (where I also conducted opera for several years as Erste Kapellmeister).

Precarious finances prompted him to apply for the vacancy at, yes you've guessed it, St. Thomas's Leipzig. Same old story, he was offered the job, his employers offered him a raise, he declined the job. Bach was third choice! The three composers were all born within a few years of each other. The way their lives intertwined at the time, and how they unfolded subsequently is fascinating, and we hear lovely music from all three.”

According to H+ H scholar Theresa M. Neff, PhD, “for the 1734 Christmas season, Bach wrote a set of six cantatas, the Christmas Oratorio. One cantata was to be performed during the morning service on December 25, December 26, December 27, New Year’s Day, the Sunday after New Year’s, and Epiphany.

The texts of these cantatas tell the story of Jesus’ birth, the angel’s announcement to the shepherds, their arrival at the manger, the naming of Jesus, and the visit of the wise men. Bach broke with tradition in his division of the cantata texts. He did not follow the Gospel stories associated with each feast or Sunday, choosing instead (along with his anonymous librettist) to tell a more cohesive story in order to preserve the Biblical narrative.”

Images via Handel and Haydn Society: (image 1) Norwood High School teacher Katherine Growdon; (image 2) Associate Conductor Ian Watson