Bach - Ein Weihnachtswunder (2024)

In December 1734, Christmas brings the Bach family of musicians together in Leipzig. There, the children Gottfried and Elisabeth meet their older half-brothers Friedemann and Emanuel. Anna Magdalena, known as Magdalena, Johann Sebastian Bach’s second wife, supports her husband so that he can devote himself to his mission of bringing the divine closer to people through his music. The Christmas Oratorio has to be finished on time. City councilman Adrian Stieglitz and the superintendent accuse Bach of vanity; the musician has long been a thorn in their side, and they fear that “operatic” music will once again be heard in St. Thomas Church. Johann Sebastian Bach hopes the oratorio will make him court composer in Dresden, and expects the support of all his family members. Eventually, Leipzig’s city council bans the performance of the Christmas Oratorio, but Bach presses on with his work regardless. Johann Sebastian Bach and his son Emanuel repeatedly quarrel because Emanuel does not receive the recognition he wants from his father as a musician, and Friedemann is favored over him. While Emanuel accuses his father of being obsequious toward the council and church authorities, Bach demands that his son finally take responsibility, as he does as a father. Magdalena Bach and Emanuel call on city councilman Stieglitz to speak up for Bach and his oratorio. Adrian Stieglitz learns from his wife Maria that guests from the Dresden court have arrived, including the court conductor Johann Adolph Hasse, to hear the oratorio Bach composed. The family tensions take their toll on ten-year-old Gottfried, and his stressed father sends him away. When there is no sign of Gottfried, his mother fears that he has lost his way and may freeze to death. Terrified for her child, she then accuses her husband of treating the people around him badly and also tells him that she is pregnant again. She makes clear how afraid she is of losing another child, after the couple have already buried seven of their children at a young age. Bach tries to reassure her and implores her to believe that everything will be different in Dresden. Bach’s son Emanuel is also on the verge of leaving because of his ongoing quarrels with his father, but Bach stops him by asking him to join him and the choir members in searching for Gottfried. Sebastian and Emanuel eventually return with Gottfried, who is unharmed. After the family gives a convincing sample performance from the oratorio together, city councilman Stieglitz finally grants permission for it to be performed. Sebastian Bach asks Emanuel for help, saying that he cannot finish the work on time without him. The oratorio is ultimately performed in the church as originally planned, conducted by Bach. The end credits mention, among other things, that two years later Johann Sebastian Bach received the title of court composer, but not the position he had hoped for, and remained in Leipzig, where his wife Magdalena gave birth to Johann Christian Bach, the future “London Bach.”