A Blessed Easter to you and yours.
You can’t do classical music for Easter unless you program this piece. This is John Eliot Gardiner with the English Baroque Soloists at the Proms in 2013, recorded live at the Royal Albert Hall. (How many holes does it take to fill the Albert Hall?)
You’ll see period instruments, to include D-trumpets, without valves, that are fingered on the lower tube. All music from the Baroque Era is dance music, even sacred music. Baroque music is like jazz, in that improvisation is expected under certain circumstances, in which the notes in the score are just guidelines. The oboist improvises his way around the melodic line in the sinfonia that begins the oratorio.
The duet between Hannah Morrison (soprano) and a wooden flute is a wonder to behold. Note that Hannah does not use vibrato, a correct performance practice for this era.
The instrumental accompaniment that follows the recitative announcing the resurrection features two shaums in a trio with Nicholas Mulroy (tenor). That instrument is one of the ancestors of the clarinet.
Meg Bragle (mezzo) gets to sing a duet with the oboe. Again, there is little to no use of vibrato. This is a da capo aria, and Meg gets a chance to show off her chops in her improvised ornamentation the second time through the material.
Bach wraps it up with a jig for baritone, chorus and orchestra.
A Blessed Easter to you and yours.