Baroque heaven in a Benedictine monastery — Harnoncourt makes Bach's Christmas spirit actually spiritual.
Nikolaus Harnoncourt leads the Concentus Musicus Vienna and Arnold Schoenberg Choir in a concert of Bach music at Austria's Kloster Melk Benedictine Monastery. Works included in this celebration of the coming of Christmas are Cantata BWV 61, "Nun Komm, der Heiden Heiland"; Cantata BWV 147, "Herz und Mund"; and Magnificat in D Major BWV 243. Soloists are Christine Schafer, Anna Korondi, Bernarda Fink, Ian Bostridge, Christopher Maltman. With the Concentus Musicus Vienna and the Arnold Schoenberg Choir.
Direction
Harnoncourt's historically informed conducting breathes period vitality into every phrase.
Cinematography
Kloster Melk's baroque architecture becomes a luminous character in itself.
Acting
Bostridge's tenor floats with that trademark otherworldly precision.
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Kloster Melk, perched above the Danube, is one of the world's most spectacular baroque religious sites — Bach never played there, but he'd have wept with envy.
Harnoncourt founded Concentus Musicus in 1953, pioneering historically informed performance when most conductors were still drowning Bach in romantic syrup.
No ratings yet
Sign in to join the discussion — comments are spoiler-gated to your watch progress.
Discussion starters
US
