And what if Bach could still surprise you? Two lesser-known oratorios receive a vivid and finely honed interpretation from Le Banquet Céleste and Damien Guillon. 
By 
Conductor Damien Guillon and his ensemble Le Banquet Céleste, joined by the chamber choir Mélisme(s) under the direction of Gildas Pungier, invite audiences to rediscover two of Johann Sebastian Bach’s lesser-performed gems: the Easter Oratorio and the Ascension Oratorio, in the radiant acoustic of Saint-Germain Church in Rennes.
Overshadowed by the towering presence of the St John and St Matthew Passions, as well as the Christmas Oratorio, these two festive works are too rarely heard in concert. Yet Bach poured into them all the dramatic flair and expressive depth for which he is rightly celebrated. With a reputation for insightful and refined interpretations of Bach’s sacred music, Damien Guillon brings renewed focus to these contrasting oratorios, drawing on the combined forces of Le Banquet Céleste and Mélisme(s)—both ensembles in residence at the Opéra de Rennes.
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