Bruno Vlahek – Hodie Christus natus est (SATB a cappella)

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Hodie Christus natus est sets the traditional Christmas text in music that Bruno Vlahek describes as "cheerful" and "bright," reflecting the warmth and joy he has always associated with Christmas. The main melody remained in his imagination for almost two years before he finally committed it to paper.

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For Vlahek, Christmas is a time of happiness, family, and tradition—a season filled with the warmth of home, the aroma of freshly baked cookies, and the sounds of carols. He sought to capture that unmistakable atmosphere in music, believing that the work would evoke Christmas even without its text.

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The composer imagines the scene as a living Nativity: angels, shepherds, and all those gathered around the manger united in one great choir celebrating Christ's birth. Beneath the festive brilliance, however, lies a moment of quiet reflection. At the passage marked freddo and mysterioso, followed by a sudden pause, the music poses an unspoken question: Why was this child born? The answer is deliberately withheld. In Vlahek's words, amid the joy of Christmas night it is easy to forget the newborn child's ultimate mission—one that will only be revealed in the story still to come.

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*Adapted from an interview with the composer by Elly van der Heide, published on the occasion of the Dutch premiere of the work in 2011 by Scherzando Choir.

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Live performance video:

Academic Radio Choir

conductor: Dan Mihai Goia

live in Sala Radio Bucharest

2012