Singer

The unspecified occasion may have been a wedding as the chorale upon which it is based was a well-known wedding song in the city. The result is a work in which Bach challenges his singers and instrumentalists: the opening fantasia is followed unusually by no less than four arias (and no recitatives) for the quartet of vocal soloists with impressive solos for flute and oboe d’amore.

Bach, the Universe & Everything: February 2026

Kings Place

The cantata was composed in 1725 in Leipzig for the third Sunday after Advent. The chorale upon which it is based is a hymn dating back to pre-Reformation days and is woven into pieces by several composers Bach admired including Lassus and Schutz. Its distinctive melodic shape and harmony elicit great energy in Bach’s writing whilst its central duet for alto and tenor depict two souls drawing close to heaven.

Bach, the Universe & Everything: January 2026

If your Christmas plans aren’t complete until you’ve got a performance of Handel’s Messiah in the diary then look no further than critically-acclaimed opera company Wild Arts (★★★★★ Opera Now, ★★★★ The Guardian) for this year’s festive fix.

Handel’s Messiah

Smith Square Hall

Nur jedem das Seine (BWV 163) is the first of two cantatas composed in late 1715 for the court in Weimar, where Bach compiled the Brandenburg Concertos. (We will hear the second, Bereitet die Wege, bereitet die Bahn! (BWV 132), in December’s event.) At the time he was about a year into his employment there and the Court was just emerging from a period of mourning for Prince Johann Ernst, a keen and skilled musician. Speaking to the concerns of the court, the cantata takes as its inspiration the story of the Pharisees laying a trap for Jesus by questioning him about the legality of paying tax to Caesar.

Bach, the Universe & Everything: November 2025

The first cantata of the new season sets us on the well-trodden trajectory from forgiveness to hope. First performed in Leipzig on 15 October 1724 (the 19th Sunday after Trinity), Wo soll ich fliehen hin displays Bach’s fondness for symmetrical structures and also features a rare appearance from the tromba di tirasi – the slide trumpet.

Bach, the Universe & Everything: October 2025

Meet Sofia Kirwan-Baez (soprano), Angharad Rowlands (mezzo-soprano), Hugo Brady (tenor) and Peter Edge (baritone), who were chosen from a field of over 100 singers to be our next cohort of Rising Stars of the Enlightenment. Over the next two seasons they will appear regularly with the Orchestra as part of our Bach, the Universe and Everything series at Kings Place and as soloists at the Southbank Centre and on tour.

Rising Stars Sessions: The Showcase

Acland Burghley School

There could be no better way to end the year in which the OAE celebrates the 40th anniversary of its formation in 1986 than with a work that has been a mainstay.

Christmas Oratorio: Parts 1 – 3

Southbank Centre

There could be no better way to end the year in which the OAE celebrates the 40th anniversary of its formation in 1986 than with a work that has been a mainstay. The Christmas Oratorio was first performed as six cantatas, each focusing on a different aspect of the Christmas story, across six feast days in different churches around Leipzig. We begin on the New Year’s Day Feast before joining the Magi on their journey to Bethlehem to honour the baby Jesus. The Evangelist’s narration interweaves with dramatic choruses, chorales and reflective arias from the cast of soloists.

Christmas Oratorio: Parts 4 – 6

This is Bach at his most joyous in a work that celebrates the power of love. Grab the chance to hear all six parts performed over two nights.

This programme celebrates the elegance, charm and sheer joy of the Viennese tradition with a dazzling selection of orchestral and vocal favourites.

At its heart is the music of Johann Strauss II, the ‘Waltz King’, whose works capture the wit, sparkle and irresistible energy of 19th-century Vienna. From the effervescent Die Fledermaus Overture to the playful Tritsch-Tratsch-Polka, literally ‘chit-chat’ or ‘gossip’, culminating in The Blue Danube, one of the most famous waltzes ever written: an unofficial anthem of Vienna and a piece that has enchanted audiences for generations, from grand ballrooms to the silver screen in 2001: A Space Odyssey.

Soprano

Sofia Kirwan-Baez

Events

Upcoming events

Dec 5, 2026

Christmas Oratorio: Parts 1 – 3 · Southbank Centre

Dec 6, 2026

Christmas Oratorio: Parts 4 – 6 · Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment

Dec 6, 2026

Christmas Oratorio: Parts 4 – 6 · Southbank Centre

Dec 30, 2026

Viennese Christmas Spectacular by Candlelight · Cadogan Hall

Past events

Feb 22, 2026

Bach, the Universe & Everything: February 2026 · Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment

Jan 25, 2026

Bach, the Universe & Everything: January 2026 · Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment

Future and recently performed repertoire

Singer in Valse triste by Sibelius

Cadogan Hall

Singer in Weihnachtsoratorium by Bach

Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment

Singer in Was Gott tut, das ist wohlgetan by Bach

Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment

Singer in Messiah by Handel

Sinfonia Smith Square

Singer in Waltz No. 2 by Shostakovich

Cadogan Hall

Singer in Christmas Oratorio by Bach

Southbank Centre

Singer in Tritsch-Tratsch-Polka by II

Cadogan Hall

Singer in Was mein Gott will, das g'scheh allzeit by Bach

Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment

Singer in Ego flos campi by Papa

Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment

Singer in Wo soll ich fliehen hin by Bach

Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment

Singer in Missa Ecce quam bonum by Papa

Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment

Singer in Nur jedem das Seine by Bach

Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment

Singer in Magi videntes stellam by Papa

Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment

Singer in O Maria vernans rosa by Papa

Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment

Singer in Waltz from The Sleeping Beauty by Tchaikovsky

Cadogan Hall

Singer in Overture to Die Fledermaus by II

Cadogan Hall

Singer in Serenade from The Snowman by Korngold

Cadogan Hall

Singer in Meine Lippen, sie küssen so heiß’ from Giuditta by Lehár

Cadogan Hall

Singer in ‘Hab’ ich nur deine Liebe’ from Boccaccio by Suppé

Cadogan Hall

Singer in 'Laughing Song’ from Die Fledermaus by II

Cadogan Hall

Singer in The Nutcracker (including Pas de deux) by Tchaikovsky

Cadogan Hall

About

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