„Christmas Love Songs - Ein romantisches Weihnachtskonzert“
The Traditional Tour
“I feel at the moment like a bull standing in front of a red cloth - motivated to my fingertips.” With contemplation but also passionately and spiritedly, Björn Casapietra aims to experience the most joyful time of the year together with his audience during his Christmas concerts, just like with his now 17-year-celebrated “Christmas Love Songs,” which he has performed in sold-out churches and theaters, including in Leipzig, Wismar, Stralsund, Potsdam, Münster, and Berlin.

Björn Casapietra loves the wonderful old German as well as the most beautiful Italian, French, and Celtic Christmas songs. All of these become an unforgettable experience through his own touching interpretation art. Thus, the repertoire of the exceptional tenor is extraordinarily broad and demanding: jubilantly “Adeste Fideles,” reverently “Es ist ein Ros´ entsprungen,” and passionately the famous French “Cantique de Noël.” With the touching folk tune “Still still still, because the child wants to sleep,” or one of the most popular lullabies, “Guten Abend, gut Nacht,” Björn Casapietra evokes memories of Christmas in childhood.
The program also includes a medley of the most famous German Christmas songs: “Süßer die Glocken nie klingen,” “Oh du Fröhliche,” “Leise rieselt der Schnee,” and of course: “Oh Tannenbaum.” With “Bist du bei mir,” an aria in Bach's tradition, Björn Casapietra wishes to sing into the hearts of the audience. Additionally, renowned highlights such as Handel’s works “Tochter Zion” and “Ombra Mai fu” will be performed.

“You know, we live in tough times. Music now has a mission. Music now has a purpose.” And that for Casapietra means: to give hope, to heal. And what could heal better than Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah”?

The Christmas season is unimaginable without the well-known “Sind die Lichter angezündet,” arguably one of the most beautiful Christmas songs from the former GDR, which Casapietra would also like to sing together with his audience. This song is still loved and appreciated as ever.
The same can be claimed for the traditional German Advent song “Maria durch ein Dornwald ging.”

All these melodies will once again be sensitively and reliably accompanied by the young University of the Arts graduate, the charismatic pianist Peter Forster. “These songs of hope are exactly the right songs at the right time. They were written to give people strength and to provide confidence, to refresh them. Churches were built for that purpose, so that people leave them refreshed and strengthened.” That is exactly what Björn Casapietra aims to achieve with his songs.
“When I stand in a beautiful church and sing “Sound of Silence” by Simon & Garfunkel with my classical tenor voice, or the setting of one of the most moving poems of modern times, Bonhoeffer’s “Von guten Mächten wunderbar geborgen,” and then feel that the temperature in the church rises and everyone in the audience smiles, then that is exactly what motivates me in my job. On stage, I want to sing not only for the ears of the people but for the soul. I want to go deeper. The best moment is always when I start the solemn “Ave Maria” by Schubert and notice that people in the audience are pulling out their tissues. Then I have touched the people, then I have done my job well.”

Information about the artist at http://www.casapietra.de

Copyright: Uwe Arens

Doors open at 5:00 PM

„Christmas Love Songs - A Romantic Christmas Concert“
The Tradition Tour
“I feel at the moment like a bull standing before a red cloth - motivated to the tips of my hair.” With contemplation, but also passionately and spiritedly, Björn Casapietra wants to experience the most joyful time of the year together with his audience in his Christmas concerts, just like in his “Christmas Love Songs,” which he has celebrated for the 17th year in sold-out churches and theaters in Leipzig, Wismar, Stralsund, Potsdam, Münster, and Berlin.

Björn Casapietra loves the wonderful old German Christmas carols as well as the most beautiful Italian, French, and Celtic Christmas songs. All of these are turned into an unforgettable experience through his own touching artistry of interpretation. Thus, the repertoire of this exceptional tenor is extraordinarily diverse and demanding: Jubilantly “Adeste Fideles,” reverently “Es ist ein Ros’ entsprungen,” and passionately the famous French “Cantique de Noël.” With the touching folk melody “Still still still, because the child wants to sleep” or one of the most popular lullabies, “Guten Abend, gut Nacht,” Björn Casapietra awakens memories of Christmas in childhood.
Included in the program – a medley of the most famous German Christmas songs: “Süßer die Glocken nie klingen,” “Oh du Fröhliche,” “Leise rieselt der Schnee,” and of course: “Oh Tannenbaum.” With “Bist du bei mir,” an aria in the tradition of Bach, Björn Casapietra wants to sing into the hearts of the audience. Additionally, famous highlights such as Handel’s works “Tochter Zion” and “Ombra Mai fu” will be heard.

“You know, we live in hard times. Music has a mission now. Music has a task now.” And for Casapietra, that means: to give hope, to heal. And what could heal better than Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah”?

The Christmas season is unthinkable without the well-known “Sind die Lichter angezündet,” probably one of the most beautiful Christmas songs from the former GDR, which Casapietra would also like to sing together with his audience. This song is as loved and appreciated as ever.
The same can be claimed for the traditional German Advent song “Maria durch ein Dornwald ging.”

All these melodies will once again be accompanied sensitively and reliably by the young University of the Arts graduate, the charismatic pianist Peter Forster. “These songs of hope are exactly the right songs at the right time. They were written to give people strength and to offer assurance, to refresh them. Churches were built for that reason, so that people could go out refreshed and strengthened.” That is exactly what Björn Casapietra wants to achieve with his songs.
“When I stand in a beautiful church and sing “Sound of Silence” by Simon & Garfunkel with my classical tenor voice or the setting of one of the most moving poems of modern times, Bonhoeffer’s “Von guten Mächten wunderbar geborgen,” and then feel that the temperature in the church rises and people are all smiling, then that is exactly what motivates me in my profession. On stage, I want to sing not just for people’s ears, but for their souls. I want to go deeper. The most beautiful moment is always when I start the solemn “Ave Maria” by Schubert and notice that people in the audience are pulling out their tissues. Then I have touched people, then I have done my job right.”

Information about the artist can be found at http://www.casapietra.de

Copyright: Uwe Arens

Doors open: 14:00 Uhr

Undefinable, this power that resides in every moment when people come together to reflect… Christmas can be such a moment, a fragile one. It can be a gift that is unprotected, a powerless power that says: Every child, every person, each of us could be capable of saving this world. A crazy idea, defenseless, vulnerable, beautiful. What is Christmas for you?

Frida Gold asks together with the Viktoria Quartet, the gifted violinists of the Bochum Symphony Orchestra, they do not ask lightly. So many certainties are called into question, ones we have felt and lived, ones that seemed eternal to us. Now this barbaric terror that people suffer in Ukraine, in Israel, in Iran. A terror that particularly targets women in a way that is unimaginable. And we stand like Mary and Joseph in the stable and look at a child…?

"Sometimes I think that every woman carries the story of all women within herself," says Alina Süggeler, she is the voice, face, body of Frida Gold: "That's why every woman who fights for self-determination and independence stands for the rights of all women in this world."

The singer/songwriter Alina Süggeler and Andi Weizel, guitarist and producer, are Frida Gold, shaping German pop culture for more than a decade. They have stormed the charts - "Love is my religion," "What should we dream of" - and whispered their melodies into millions of ears. Alina has become the face of her generation, her style, her voice, her ability to be touched has formulated a new, feminine self-confidence.

As a duo, Frida Gold are the stars next door. Bochumers who do not want to explain the world to anyone, but want to keep this world, which often overwhelms, open. Open for interpretations and feelings, for fears and hopes.

In May 2022, they played together with the Viktoria Quartet for the first time - at that time a benefit for Ukraine, organized by us at the Christuskirche - the evening became a grand experience. The sound worlds of the violins did not sweeten Frida Gold's songs, as is often known and least liked when classical meets pop, but rather atmospherically underpinned the songs, carried them dramatically. Incredibly good arrangements, during the concert it was clear to everyone that what was happening here needed to be played again, needed to be heard again…

As a Christmas concert. It will be the fifth and - additional concert! - the sixth that they will give together. And both will again be a benefit for the experience that we all can do something because we have all received. A benefit for the experience that whoever saves a person could have saved the world. Which is a Jewish idea, a Christian one and a Muslim one - and the idea of Frida Gold and the

VIKTORIA QUARTET

It has formed from the ranks of the Bochum Symphony Orchestra, their Anneliese Brost Music Forum lies almost next door to the Christuskirche. Recently, the quartet celebrated its tenth anniversary and did so with the "Butterfly Dance" by Japanese composer Malika Kishino, which she specifically composed for this occasion. The four founding members - Esiona Stefani, Jiwon Kim, Alexander Senazhenski and Philipp Willerding-Bach - regularly receive enthusiastic reviews with their wide-ranging programs. Now also for having developed their own way of marrying pop and classical music into a higher art.

For each concert ticket, at least €5 - those who want to give more can certainly do so! - will go to organizations that definitely do meaningful work, namely to:

WOMEN FOR WOMEN INTERNATIONAL

The international women's organization invests where inequality is greatest, helping tens of thousands of women globally who have survived wars and civil wars and are trying to build a new life. In Afghanistan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, in the Democratic Republic of Congo, in Iraq, in Kosovo, in Nigeria, Rwanda, and South Sudan, women learn skills through a year-long training program to rebuild their families and communities. They build close connections with other women, are equipped with the necessary skills to earn an income and save towards a goal, and they receive knowledge and resources about their health and rights. // http://www.womenforwomeninternational.de

TOGETHER IN THE GAMBIA e.V.

An initiative that formed in 2018 in Hattingen to support Jabang, a town as large as Hattingen itself, located south of the capital Banjul. The association provides help for self-help and does this on a voluntary basis, aiming to promote structures that last, so they can benefit as many people as possible. All activities are planned, decided, and carried out together with the residents of Jabang. Focus areas: Promoting health and education. // http://www.together-in-the-gambia.de

„Christmas Love Songs - Ein romantisches Weihnachtskonzert“
The Tradition Tour
„I feel like a bull standing in front of a red cloth at the moment - motivated to the tips of my hair.“ With contemplation, but also passionately and temperamentally, Björn Casapietra wants to experience the most joyful time of the year together with his audience in his Christmas concerts, just like in his "Christmas Love Songs," which are now celebrated in their 17th year in sold-out churches and theaters in Leipzig, Wismar, Stralsund, Potsdam, Münster, and Berlin.

Björn Casapietra loves the wonderful old German as well as the most beautiful Italian, French, and Celtic Christmas songs. All of these are transformed into an unforgettable experience through his own touching interpretative artistry. Thus, the repertoire of this exceptional tenor is extraordinarily diverse and sophisticated: jubilantly „Adeste Fideles“, reverently „Es ist ein Ros´entsprungen“ and passionately the famous French „Cantique de Noël“. With the touching folk tune „Still still still, weil’s Kindlein schlafen will“ or one of the most popular lullabies, „Guten Abend, gut Nacht“, Björn Casapietra awakens memories of Christmas in childhood.
Included in the program is a medley of the most famous German Christmas songs: „Süßer die Glocken nie klingen“, „Oh du Fröhliche“, „Leise rieselt der Schnee“ and of course: „Oh Tannenbaum“. With „Bist du bei mir“, an aria in Bach's tradition, Björn Casapietra wants to sing into the hearts of the audience. In addition, famous highlights such as Handel's works „Tochter Zion“ and „Ombra Mai fu“ will be heard.

„You know, we live in hard times. Music now has a mission. Music now has a purpose.“ And that for Casapietra means: to give hope, to heal. And what could heal better than the „Hallelujah“ by Leonard Cohen?“

The Christmas season is unimaginable without the well-known „Sind die Lichter angezündet“, perhaps one of the most beautiful Christmas songs from the former GDR, which Casapietra would also like to sing along with his audience. This song is still loved and appreciated.
The same can be claimed for the traditional German Advent song „Maria durch ein Dornwald ging“.

All these melodies will once again be sensitively and reliably accompanied by the young University of the Arts graduate, the charismatic pianist Peter Forster. „These songs of hope are exactly the right songs at the right time. They were written to give people strength and to bestow confidence, to refresh them. Churches were once built precisely for this purpose, that people leave them refreshed and strengthened.“ That is exactly what Björn Casapietra wants to achieve with his songs.
„When I stand in a beautiful church and sing „Sound of Silence“ by Simon & Garfunkel with my classical tenor voice or the setting of one of the most moving poems of modern times, Bonhoeffer's „Von guten Mächten wunderbar geborgen”, and then feel that the temperature in the church rises and everyone in the audience is smiling, then that is exactly what motivates me in my profession. On stage, I want to sing not only for the ears of the people but for the soul. I want to go deeper. The most beautiful moment is always when I start the solemn „Ave Maria“ by Schubert and notice that people are pulling out their tissues in the audience. Then I have touched the people, then I have done my job right.“

Information about the artist at http://www.casapietra.de

Copyright: Uwe Arens

Entrance: 19:00

Tickets may still be available at the box office.