Mirabile Mysterium: Choral Music for Christmas - Sächsisches Vocalensemble, Matthias Jung

The title of the present selection of choral music from various countries and epochs, Mirabile Mysterium (Latin for "Wondrous / Astonishing Mystery"), refers to the birth of Jesus Christ, by which nothing less than the incarnation of God is meant: out of love God renounces his almighty power and becomes a weak human being who like us is subject to suffering and death. Spiritual consideration of this mystery of faith, which the whole of Christendom celebrates every year at Christmas, has inspired composers of various religious persuasions to write very special works. Along with the works specifically concerning themselves with the Christmas event and qualifying as Christmas songs in the stricter sense of the term, we also find, primarily at the beginning of the program, some genuine Advent songs. Even during what for Christians were pagan times, the word adventus (Latin for "arrival") designated both the visit of a human ruler and the presence of a deity in his temple. As in the case of the visit of a state dignitary, certain spiritual exercises were undertaken in preparation for the visit of a god. As a result, the idea that an event begins already with it's preparation was transferred to the spiritual sphere. The Church borrowed this concept for a period of inner reflection intended to convey an inkling of the incomprehensible gift granted to humankind in the miracle of Christmas. This program spanning six centuries offers us the opportunity to trace the history of the spiritual fusion of the Advent and Christmas seasons in music.

1        Ecce Virgo Conciept
Composed By – Heinrich Isaac
2        Nun Komm, Den Heiden Heiland
Composed By – Johannes Eccard
3        Maria Durch Ein' Dornwald Ging
Composed By – Günter Raphael
4        Machet Die Tore Weit
Composed By – Andreas Hammerschmidt
5        Ave Maris Stella
Composed By – Claudio Monteverdi
Geistliche Chormusik (1648) Swv 369-397 (Auszug)    
6        O Lieber Herre Gott    
7        Tröstet Mein Volk    
8        Mirabile Mysterium
Composed By – Josef Rheinberger
9        Unser Lieben Frauen Traum
Composed By – Max Reger
10        Mirabile Mysterium
Composed By – Jacobus Gallus
11        In Dulci Jubilo
Composed By – Carl Thiel (2)
12        Auf Dem Berge, Da Geht Der Wind
Composed By – Felix Woyrsch
13        Lux Aurumque
Composed By – Eric Whitacre
14        Es Ist Ein Ros' Entsprungen
Composed By – Jan Sandström
15        A Spotless Rose
Composed By – Herbert Howells
16        I Wonder As I Wander
Composed By – John Rutter
17        A Child Is Born In Bethlehem
Composed By – Antonín Tucapsky*
18        O Magnum Mysterium
Composed By – Morten Lauridsen
19        Ich Steh An Deiner Kripper Hier
Composed By – Johannes Eccard