Ein Krippenspiel aus Kőröshegy

I wrote this Christmas cantata at the request of the Komitat Somogy Council. When I visited the still unrenovated little church at Kőröshegy about ten years ago I had no idea that this beautiful Gothic building would one day be the scene of the world premiere of my work “Ein Krippenspiel von Kőröshegy”.

This small cantata is structured around four pillars of solo organ followed by a cappella choir on Latin words by Janus Pannonius. Between these four pillars I have interspersed movements, for choir or soloists and instrumental ensemble, for which I used popular melodies and Hungarian Christmas carols from the County of Somogy and Transylvania: songs of the shepherds, songs of the angels , songs of the wise men. A narrator brings these different movements while telling the Nativity story. After a pastoral for the organ, the choir intones “The Holy Night” to which 3 solists placed on the organ loft respond to create an echo effect until the end of the work.

I orchestrated my cantata for my son András who conducted it in this version at Lausanne Cathedral. — Ferenc Farkas