Join the Seattle Bach Festival for an exclusive screening of the film “Bach: A Christmas Miracle,” a festive prelude to our much-anticipated performances of Bach’s Christmas Oratorio this December.
This compelling historical drama takes you back to Leipzig in 1734, offering a dramatic and inspiring look into the creation of one of Bach’s most beloved masterworks. Witness the challenges and triumphs as Bach navigates family tensions and conflicts with the city council to bring his six-part oratorio to life. This cinematic journey will deepen your appreciation for the powerful story and joyous music of the Christmas Oratorio, setting the perfect tone for our upcoming concerts.
This film is directed by Christian Schnalke and stars Devid Striesow, Thorsten Merten, Verena Altenberger, Ludwig Simon, Dominic Marcus Singer and Lotte Herzog. This film is presented in German with English subtitles.
Don’t miss this unique opportunity to connect with Bach’s timeless music on the big screen and hear SBF artists perform before the film screening!
Tickets begin at $15, and there will be an opportunity to support the festival.
Thursday, December 4, at 7 pm at the Grand Theater, Tacoma
Saturday, December 6, 11 am at the Edmonds Theater
Sunday, December 7, 1 pm and 3 pm at the SIFF Film Center at Seattle Center
**Please note that there are two Seattle screenings, as the theater is much smaller than the Egyptian was. **
About The Film
Bach: A Christmas Miracle
Leipzig, December 1734: Christmas brings the Bach family together. The first snow has fallen and the children Gottfried and Elisabeth are delighted about the arrival of their older brothers Friedemann and Emanuel. The Thomaskantor has retired to his music room. Anna Magdalena supports her husband, as there are only a few days left and his latest work, the six-part “Christmas Oratorio”, must be finished on time. It is awaited with suspicion by the city council and the gentlemen of the consistory, who have long found Bach’s waywardness a thorn in their side and fear that, after the premiere of the St. Matthew Passion a few years earlier, the St. Thomas Church will once again be filled with “operatic” music. With the oratorio, Johann Sebastian Bach hopes that he will finally become court composer in Dresden. And, as always, he demands that all members of the family join forces to help him. But differences of opinion are increasingly delaying the completion of Bach’s most famous work.