THE CHRISTMAS CONCERT

  • A festive historical tale from old Hamburg.
  • A deeply moving story about Bach’s Christmas Oratorio, a long-lost love, and the healing power of music.
  • Spiegel bestselling author Petra Oelker is the undisputed master of richly detailed, meticulously researched historical fiction.

The magic sound of Christmas.

Hamburg, November 1789: Kopper, a bell caster from the Steintorwall, wants to fulfill his mother’s greatest wish for Christmas Eve, a performance of the magical Christmas cantata she heard many years ago in Leipzig with her secret lover. She remembers festive kettledrums, trumpets, and the opening lines of the choir: Celebrate, Rejoice! - truly heavenly music. The ancient, handwritten score of the complete oratorio is said to be kept in the archives of the late music director Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach, but it has vanished.

Aided by Frieda, a spirited kitchen maid who would much rather sing at the top of her lungs than scrub pots, former traveling actress Rosina Vinstedt sets out on a frantic search for the missing masterpiece. Along the way, Rosina is unexpectedly forced to confront the secrets of her own past ...

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  • Publisher: Rowohlt Wunderlich
  • Release: 18.09.2026
  • ISBN: 978-3-8052-0146-9
  • 176 Pages
  • Author: Petra Oelker

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Buchcover von THE CHRISTMAS CONCERT
Petra OelkerTHE CHRISTMAS CONCERT
Portrait von Petra Oelker
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Petra Oelker

Petra Oelker worked as a journalist and author of non-fiction books and biographies. With Tod am Zollhaus , she penned the first of her successful historical crime novels, followed by ten more.