A Flemish Christmas
In A Flemish Christmas, Jan Hadermann tells the Christmas story by means of four Old Flemish Christmas Songs.Mary is chosen to bring Jesus Christ, the son of God, into the world: Het was een maged uitverkoren (‘She was a virgin chosen’).On the occasion of a census, Mary, who is with child, and Joseph, her husband to be, travel from Nazareth to Bethlehem, where Jesus will be born in a humble stable: Maria die zoude naar Bethlehem gaan (Mary would go to Bethlehem’).O kerstnacht, schoner dan de dagen (‘Oh Christmas Night, more beautiful than the days’) is a stately chorale that sings the praises of Jesus’ birth.Three wise men from the East, Caspar,Melchior and Balthazar, follow a bright star in the sky, which leads them to Bethlehem. There, they worship the newborn King, and offer him gold, frankincense and myrrh: Wij komen van Oosten (We’ve come from the East’).This musical Christmas story ends with a festive repeat of the third movement, the stately chorale.
