Tilford Bach Festival programme 2026
Musical director: Adrian Butterfield, Director of the London Handel Players and Professor of Baroque Violin at the Royal College of Music
Bach’s Christmas Oratorio
Saturday, December 12, 2026, 7:30pm
St Luke’s Church, Grayshott, GU26 6LFA
A festive celebration of one of Bach’s greatest masterpieces, presented jointly by Tilford Bach Festival and Grayshott Concerts.
The London Handel Players, directed by Adrian Butterfield, Pegasus Choir and the outstanding soloists – Laura Newey (soprano), James Hall (alto), James Gilchrist (tenor) and James Atkinson (baritone) – perform four cantatas from Bach’s magnificent Christmas Oratorio, BWV 248.
Written for the Christmas season in Leipzig in 1734, the work moves from the triumphant opening celebration of Christ’s birth through the pastoral story of the shepherds to a joyful and brilliant Epiphany conclusion.
Tickets are available through the Grayshott Concerts website.
When booking, please write “From TBF” in the comments box. A number of tickets have been allocated for Tilford Bach Festival friends, and this will help us identify your booking.
Early booking is strongly recommended as demand for this special festive collaboration is already high.
A glorious, light-filled introduction to the joy and precision of Baroque dance and gesture with audience participation
The London Handel Players and their dancers, Mary Collins and Steven Player, are renowned for their lively revivals of original choreographies and gestures from the Baroque period.
This programme, a glorious, light-filled introduction to the joy and precision of Baroque movement, brings historical dances to life with music by Handel, Corelli, Lully, Campra and J.S. Bach, including his famous B minor flute suite.
After the performance, members of the audience are invited to take part in an informal dance workshop under the guidance of our dancers, accompanied by the London Handel Players.
Bach’s sublime Easter Oratorio and his moving Cantata BWV 21, Ich hatte viel Bekümmernis
The London Handel Players, Pegasus choir and our exceptional soloists - Hilary Cronin (soprano), Hugh Cutting, (alto) Sam Boden (tenor), and Edward Grint (bass) perform these pieces of great drama and emotional intensity.
The sublime Easter Oratorio differs from Bach’s other sacred works in having no original biblical text, no Evangelist narrator and no chorales; the recitatives and arias are sung by four biblical characters, almost like a Passion Play.
The cantata, "Ich hatte viel Bekümmernis" starts in sombre mood; but shifts to the joyful assurance of salvation, closing with a triumphant hymn of praise.
Celebrate the "Joy of Baroque" with the next generation of virtuosi.
We have a wonderful programme to bring you the best emerging Baroque musicians.
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Corelli - Concerto Grosso No. 1 in D major
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Leclair - Flute concerto in C major
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JS Bach - Double violin concerto in D minor BWV1043
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Geminiani - Concerto Grosso "La Follia"
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Vivaldi - Concerto Grosso in G minor
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Vivaldi - "Summer" from The Four Seasons