Johann Sebastian Bach’s Magnificat BWV 243 is opulent festive music that in many respects represents a special feature in his œuvre. The first version (in E-flat major, BWV 243.1) was premiered only one month after Bach took up his post as Thomaskantor in Leipzig in 1723. In the same year, Bach adds the four Christmas interludes, so-called Lauds, and performs the expanded version again on Christmas Day. Eventually, between 1732 and 1735, he reworks the work in many places and changes the key to ...