Christmas Oratorio

Composed in 2019, James MacMillan’s Christmas Oratorio is a summatory work in his output, collecting together settings of poetry, liturgy and scripture which explore themes related to the birth of Jesus. Whereas many of the chorus sections draw on Latin liturgy, the reflective arias for soprano and baritone adopt vivid texts by Robert Southwell, John Donne and John Milton. Multiple aspects of Christmas are captured, balancing childhood innocence against more ominous moods threatening the Holy Family, which resonate in our own time. MacMillan’s writing for chorus is richly varied, from carol-like celebrations, through a pair of tableaux containing the Biblical narrative according to St Matthew and the mysterious opening of St John’s Gospel, to a simple closing Scottish lullaby. Both parts of the full-evening work are framed by orchestral sinfonias, bridging the distance across the ages.