Monday, 4 November 2024
Government House, Sydney
Her Excellency the Honourable Margaret Beazley AC KC, Governor of New South Wales

Bujari gamarruwa

Diyn Babana Gamarada Gadigal Ngura

Welcome in the language of the Gadigal people, the Traditional Owners of the land on which Government House stands. I pay my respects to their Elders past, present and emerging, and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

Dennis and I are delighted to welcome you to Government House on this spring evening to celebrate the Bach Akademie Australia family, to thank staff, supporters and donors and enjoy a little teaser of the upcoming Christmas Oratorio performance, the first moment of Christmas music in the House this year, although we are still 4 weeks out from Advent and from the arrival of our floor to ceiling Christmas tree with its beautiful aroma of pine wafting through the House.    

As with too many things, we take Advent and Christmas trees for granted without thinking of their history and the wonderful traditions they embody.

Serendipitously tonight, the tradition of the Christmas tree comes to us from Germany in the time of the Baroque.^[1] Many believe it was Martin Luther who  first added lighted candles to a tree. The story goes that walking home one wintry night, Luther was awed by the stars twinkling amidst the evergreens. To recapture the scene for his family, he erected a tree in the main room and wired its branches with lighted candles,^[2] (unthinkable in modern Christmas decorations, especially here as we celebrate Christmas in the middle of our hot summers).  

Queen Victoria, whose portrait is looking down at us from the back of the room, and her beloved Prince Albert popularised the tree in Britain, Victoria's German mother, Princess Victoria of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld, having brought the tradition into their family Christmases.^[3]

Whether Johann Sebastian Bach followed Martin Luther’s Christmas tree tradition is unknown, but we can say with confidence that the tree would not have appeared at the beginning of Advent. let alone the first week of November, as the German practice is for the tree to be installed and decorated the night before Christmas.^[4]

Here at Government House we have to be strategic with the installation and the decoration of our Christmas ready for our final year events including the Children’s Cancer Institute’s Benefactors Award Ceremony.

We know that for Bach, Christmas was a season of deep spiritual significance. The music we will hear tonight, which will give us a taste of the Christmas Oratorio performances next weekend, offer a glimpse of his profound gratitude for the intersection of the Divine with humanity, in the form of a child - Emmanuel, God among us.

Christmas is also a time for giving which provides me the opportunity to thank the generosity of all of the donors and supporters of Bach Akademie Australia. A special welcome to Dr Carol Colburn Grigor and Mr Murray Grigor – it is always a pleasure to have you here.  Your love and enthusiasm for the music of JS Bach is expressed in your wonderful support of Bach Akademie Australia and other organisations, including your role, Carol, as President of the Monteverdi Choir and Orchestra.

I also recognise Sir Jonathon Mills who is with us tonight and was recently awarded the Companion of the Order of Australia in this year’s King’s Birthday Honours list, for eminent service to international cultural leadership and diplomacy, to the performing arts, to philanthropic ventures, and to tertiary education.

I will now retreat into the background so we can be enthralled by the music of John Sebastian Bach under the superb hand of Akademie founder, Madeleine Easton.  

I wish you all the very best that the Christmas season brings. 

[1] https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/jonathanjonesblog/2016/dec/26/baroque-christmas-art-decorations

[2] https://www.history.com/topics/christmas/history-of-christmas-trees

[3] https://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-12-19/the-history-of-the-christmas-tree/8106078

[4] https://www.housebeautiful.com/uk/lifestyle/a33969476/german-christmas-traditions/