Please note - Tickets for this concert are on a pre-reservation basis, no payment is required at the time of making the reservation. Friends and non-Friends are able to reserve tickets. Friends who make a reservation up to 2 months before the concert date will receive priority when seating is allocated for this concert. Priority Booking closes 12th October 2026
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Programme Highlights
We close the year with one of the greatest celebrations in all sacred music: Bach's Christmas Oratorio, performed by the London Handel Players and Pegasus under Baroque specialist Adrian Butterfield. This is a new venture for Grayshott Concerts as we are combining forces with the prestigious Tilford Bach Festival to produce a joint event.
With its jubilant opening chorus, tender arias and radiant orchestral writing, this festive masterpiece captures the wonder and joy of the season. A perfect centrepiece for Christmas at Grayshott.
Under the leadership of Adrian Butterfield, one of Britain's leading Baroque specialists and co-founder of the London Handel Festival, the London Handel Players and Pegasus bring this masterpiece to life with period instruments, stylistic authenticity and vivid expression. Their performances at the BBC Proms, Wigmore Hall and major European venues have earned praise for clarity, elegance and artistry.
Pegasus is a versatile and exciting London chamber choir known for its broad repertoire of sacred and secular music from the Renaissance to today. Notable accolades include winning prizes at the Florilège Vocal de Tours (2013) and Tolosa International Choral Competition (2007), and being a BBC Choir of the Year semi-finalist in 2005. The ensemble has appeared on BBC Radio, Classic FM, and Channel 4.
Few works capture the spirit of Christmas with such brilliance and joy as JS Bach's Christmas Oratorio (Weihnachtsoratorium), BWV 248, one of the crowning achievements of Baroque sacred music. This monumental creation, composed in 1734, comprises six cantatas, each originally written for a different feast day of the season between Christmas Day and Epiphany. It combines resplendent choruses, expressive arias, and vivid orchestration to celebrate the Nativity story with both majesty and intimacy. It takes listeners on a luminous journey through the key events surrounding the birth of Christ - from the joyous opening "Jauchzet, frohlocket!", blazing with trumpets and timpani, to scenes of tender lullabies, pastoral stillness, and exuberant fanfares that capture the wonder, drama and radiance of the season. As is common practice, four of the six cantatas will be performed.
A festive, uplifting, and unforgettable celebration - the perfect musical centrepiece for Christmas at Grayshott.
