After Handels's Messiah and the Ode for St Cecilia's Day, Daniela Dolci and Musica Fiorita present on Pan Classics their version of Johann Sebastian Bach's Christmas Oratorio. Based in Basel, Dolci has easy access to many of the best vocal soloists around, and this recording has been no exception: the role of the Evangelist is sung by Hans Jörg Mammel, and the other main roles are defended by Gunta Smirnova, Flavio Ferri-Benedetti and Raitis Grigalis. With such a setup, the question of "why a new recording of the Christmas Oratorio" is needed is easily answered. For more than 25 years the ensemble Musica Fiorita, conducted by Daniela Dolci, has been specializing in the performance of late Renaissance and Baroque music. The ensemble strives to promote the current standards of historically informed performance practice and is committed to being true to both the original scores and the liveliness of their performance. The varied use of period instruments as well as the presence of a substantial continuo group add to the flourishing of the finer nuances of the music of the 17th and 18th centuries.