Gabriel Jackson's "The Christmas Story" was commissioned by Merton College, Oxford, following his earlier work "The Passion of our Lord Jesus Christ" for the college's 750th anniversary.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Gabriel Jackson's "The Christmas Story" pays homage to Heinrich Schütz's "Weihnachtshistorie" and attempts to reimagine the sound-world of the early Baroque.
Compositional Technique
The libretto for "The Christmas Story" was compiled by The Very Revd Dr Simon Jones, former Chaplain and Fellow of Merton College, Oxford.
Compositional Technique
The instrumentation of "The Christmas Story" combines wind, brass, and stringed instruments to evoke the rich sonorities of 17th-century Germany and Italy, sometimes creating a lean, Stravinskian sound.
Recording & Production
This recording of Gabriel Jackson's "The Christmas Story" is a premiere recording.
Compositional Technique
The work features specially commissioned poems by contemporary Merton poets Penny Boxall and Mary Anne Clark, who was a Visiting Research Fellow and completed a doctorate on rhyme in Shakespeare's theatre, respectively.
Compositional Technique
Three trombones were specifically requested by conductor Benjamin Nicholas for "The Christmas Story," bringing a "hieratic presence" to the music due to their historical association with spiritual and supernatural themes.
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