In its touching tenderness, the Christmas Story op. 1 by Hugo Distler is one of the most beautiful temptations for any a cappella ensemble at Advent or Christmas time. With its scoring for four-part choir, from which all the soloists (Evangelist, Maria, Elisabeth, Herodes, Simeon) can easily be drawn, it is proof that the Christmas message can be conveyed with the same simple, sublime brilliance as with the old masters. The seven variations on "Es ist ein Ros entsprungen" which run through the work are much more than merely a framework for the story - they are also great music within themselves, making the work an extremely suitable and useful addition to the repertoire.