13.12.2025

MANUEL WALSER in Bach's Christmas Oratorio and Beethoven's Ninth Symphony

Just in time for the first weekend of Advent, baritone Manuel Walser rang in the Christmas season in Oslo with J.S. Bach's Christmas Oratorio. He sang the bass solos in cantatas 1 to 4 – originally composed for each day of Christmas and New Year's Day for Christ’s circumcision, but now often performed, historically incorrectly, in the run-up to Christmas. He was joined by the Oslo Cathedral Choir and the Barokkanerne Orchestra.

Two weeks later, he will once again sing the bass solos in Cantatas 1 and 2 of Bach's Christmas Oratorio - this time at concerts on 13 and 14 December in the Großer Saal of the Wiener Musikverein. He shares the stage with fellow Machreich artists Olivia Vermeulen (mezzo-soprano) and Werner Güra (tenor), as well as the Concentus Musicus Wien – performing under Stefan Gottfried and in the musical legacy of Nikolaus Harnoncourt. Two further highlights of Advent music will be performed during these concerts: Bach's cantatas BWV 61 “Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland” and BWV 70a “Wachet! betet! betet! wachet!” were composed for the first and second Sundays in Advent, making them particularly appropriate for the concerts on the second weekend of Advent. Here, too, Manuel Walser interprets the bass parts, which in both cantatas embody the voice of Christ and the urgent admonition to be vigilant and prepare for the coming of the Lord. Walser impresses with his expressive, nuanced interpretation, with which he conveys the perfect authority, urgency, and warmth. His interpretations are particularly vivid thanks to his high level of textual clarity and sophistication.

Another project takes Walser to Milan and Lucerne, where he will perform five concerts of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony with the Milan Symphony Orchestra and Choir conducted by Emmanuel Tjeknavorian. Just as the Christmas Oratorio shapes the Advent season, Beethoven's Ninth belongs to New Year's Eve and is almost a ritual of the turn of the year – a moment of community, of shared musical experience and of transition into the new year. The bass part, interpreted by Walser, opens the vocal finale, accentuates the reminders ‘O Freunde, nicht diese Töne!’ and guides the audience through the choral passages as a defining voice. Once again, Manuel Walser scores with his soft, richly rounded timbre.