The baritone Ulrich Schütte sings Christmas carols - this has been a tradition for years: from Bach to Cornelius, Reger, Wolf and Brahms.

In his new program: "Silent Night, 'eilige Nacht!" he is actually not in such a "hurry", because Schütte begins the song evening with a melodrama about the emergence of the most famous Christmas carol: he recites a "hanebüchen-comic-sentimental" text in rhyme form and with piano accompaniment lets the song "Silent Night" gradually emerge. Joseph Mohr and Franz Xaver Gruber come alive again!

No less well-known Christmas poems follow, now not spoken but sensitively sung, as well as a "treasure chest" of the best-known Christmas carols such as "Morgen Kinder wird's was geben" or "Morgen kommt der Weihnachtsmann" - Mozart's variations send their regards - and the pianist can make his mark.

It goes one step further with Heinz Ehrhardt's "Die Weihnachtsgans" (The Christmas Goose) and Kurt Tucholsky's "Weihnachten 1918" (Christmas 1918), before the "Christmas sky" brightens up again with a bit of "Winter Wonderland" and the like from the world of Nat King Cole and Bing Crosby.

Of course, Loriot's "Es blaut die Nacht", the thoughtful "Weihnachten ist eine schöne Zeit" by Georg Kreisler or the rumbling and evil "Knecht Ruprecht" by Max Reger are not to be missed.

Ulrich Schütte studied singing at the Cologne Academy of Music. In 1981 he passed his artistic maturity examination with distinction. Since 1995 he has been a lecturer for singing at this university.

Through radio productions and appearances on television, as well as through his extensive concert activities, he has made a name for himself as a lied and oratorio singer beyond the borders of Germany. His concert tours have taken him to Zurich, Vienna and Paris, among other places.