I cannot think of a better piece for December 25th than this, Morten Lauridsen’s O Magnum Mysterium. Lauridsen is the third of my trio of great modern choral composers, and I’ve linked him here before.
Transiberian Orchestra, Wizards In Winter.
Here’s a lovely, obscure Baroque piece. Francesco Manfredini’s Christmas Concerto
Save twenty minutes for this. Like The Reluctant Dragon, Brother Heinrich’s Christmas is worth it. And in this case the recording is substantially better.
Carol of the Bells for twelve cellos. And check out the rest of these videos, you’ll be amazed.
Aurora Awakes by John Mackey. Specifically written to celebrate the moment of year-turning when darkness becomes light.
This will be something very unlike you’ve ever heard before. This is William Billing’s Shepherd’s Carol. I love how Billings gives the Master of the Inn a whap in the chops for refusing room.
We can’t be too serious here, now…
The Irish Rovers sing Miss Fogarty’s Christmas Cake.
Because, like last year, I simply can’t do just Christmas music, here are three beautiful pieces from his “Midwinter Songs” by Morten Lauridsen, one of my three favorite modern choral composers.
All right, ladies. If your man gives you slippers every year, tell him this year he’d better step up his game. In Rimsky-Korsakov’s opera “Christmas Eve”, the hero gives his girl slippers, all right…slippers he gets from the Tsarina, by taking a ride on the Devil’s back!
This isn’t the best recording in the world and dates from 1977, but it isn’t an opera you hear much. Here are the singers and orchestra of Indiana University performing “Christmas Eve.”