From Christmas Night to Celebration Baroque masters from Vivaldi to Telemann Heinichen -- Vivaldi -- J.S. Bach -- Telemann Linnéa Sundfaer Casserly, soprano Essi Lind-Vallinoja, alto Sofia Majanen, alto Niilo Erkkilä, tenor Mats Lillhannus, tenor Juhana Kotilainen, bass Helsinki Chamber Choir Nils Schweckendiek, conductor Irma Niskanen, violin and leader Finnish Baroque Orchestra Irma Niskanen, programme planning Return once more, sweet peace, creation is tired of discord! The text above is sung in Georg Philipp Telemann's Christmas Oratorio Die Hirten an der Krippe zu Bethlehem (The Shepherds at the Manger in Bethlehem, 1759). FiBO performs the seldom-heard oratorio with the Helsinki Chamber Choir, conducted by Nils Schweckendiek. The Christmas atmosphere is complemented by orchestral works led by Irma Niskanen. The libretto of Telemann's (1681--1767) oratorio frames the biblical story as a pastoral play from Antiquity. The text by Karl Wilhelm Ramler was intended for the conductor Friedrich Agricola in Berlin, and he probably delivered it to his colleague Telemann in Hamburg. The arrangements of familiar Christmas songs and hymns gain additional sparkle by the trumpets and timpani. A distinctive feature of the oratorio is the accompanied recitatives that are distributed among several soloists. Musically, they already hint at the rich musical painting in Haydn's oratorios. The recitatives represent both the ancient shepherds and the parish community. The imaginative arias showcase different aspects of Telemann's mastery. The choral movements encapsulate the message of the work: the oratorio ends with the angels' wish for peace. At the beginning of the concert, FiBO performs Pastorale per la Notte di Natale by the Dresden court conductor Johann David Heinichen (1683--1729), in which different instrument groups alternate. Antonio Vivaldi's (1678--1741) string concerto Il riposo, per il Santissimo Natale is also immersed in the atmosphere of Christmas night. Johann Se