Christmas favourites

[Mary Chambers]

I have happy memories of singing the Vaughan Williams Fantasia on Christmas Carols in my first year at university, but oddly enough never since then. Otherwise, obviously the Britten Ceremony of Carols, Bach's Christmas Oratorio and the relevant parts of Messiah. After all these years I still feel the magic when 'There were shepherds abiding in the fields' begins.

I never miss the Nine Lessons and Carols from King's, but I tend to avoid carol concerts these days because of Rutter overload. (If I chose to be negative, I could make quite a long list of Christmas hates.)

[ardcarp]

Mary won't be surprised if I mention Britten's A Boy was Born, sung by The Holst Singers with Stephen Layton and the choristers of St Paul's with John Scott. (I think it's also been recorded by The Coydons and by The Sixteen.)

But if you want a really good, cheerful, all-round composite CD, try Christmas Through the Ages on Hyperion. Something for everyone...and cracking performances. It's a must on Christmas morning in our house, and something of an antidote to KCC.

[Nick Armstrong]

...and here's another vote for the Finzi.

Would anyone advise against me getting this?

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Terra-Pax-Christmas-Anthology-Leighton/dp/B002QEXBYA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1323986703&sr=8-1

I love Roderick Williams's voice and there is some other great stuff, including the Mathias I mentioned earlier, as well as 'In Terra Pax'.

[EdgeleyRob]

Would anyone advise against me getting this?

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Terra-Pax-Christmas-Anthology-Leighton/dp/B002QEXBYA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1323986703&sr=8-1

I love Roderick Williams's voice and there is some other great stuff, including the Mathias I mentioned earlier, as well as 'In Terra Pax'.

You won't be disappointed, it's a wonderful CD.That and http://www.amazon.com/Hodie-Christma...3988091&sr=1-4 are essential christmas listening for me.

[Nick Armstrong]

You won't be disappointed, it's a wonderful CD.

ordered

[VodkaDilc]

Christmas essentials include:

Menotti - Amahl and the Night Visitors.

A good example of how expectations at the BBC and in the education world in general have changed in 50 years - in the late 1950s (my later years in primary school) this became familiar to me (and thousands of others, I imagine) from its use in a BBC Schools radio series (possibly Singing Together with William Applebey). By the end of term we knew all the main themes.

What musical expectations do we have of 9-11 year-olds now? Is this progress?

[ardcarp]

A good example of how expectations at the BBC and in the education world in general have changed in 50 years - in the late 1950s (my later years in primary school) this became familiar to me (and thousands of others, I imagine) from its use in a BBC Schools radio series (possibly Singing Together with William Applebey). By the end of term we knew all the main themes.

What musical expectations do we have of 9-11 year-olds now? Is this progress?

'Expectation' is entirely lacking in most primary schools, and I couldn't agree more with your views, VodkaD. Given that most don't have a music specialist (my g-kids' school of 360 doesn't) the best they could do is to have something like that BRILLIANT William Appleby programme. I regret, however, that any attempt to produce an equivalent programme today, with accompanying material, would be dumbed down talking down, would try to be cool and would assume kids had the attention span of a gnat. No hope, I'm afraid.

[Pabmusic]

I'm a Finzi fan, but I don't know this! I must remedy it in the next week! Whose version do I get?

There are two versions. One (the original) is for voices and strings, the other for voices and orchestra. Most recordings are of the first version, though at least Vernon Handley on Lyrita, and David Hill (Decca) used the orchestral version. I don't think there are any less-than-memorable recordings.

[Pabmusic]

Would anyone advise against me getting this?

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Terra-Pax-Christmas-Anthology-Leighton/dp/B002QEXBYA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1323986703&sr=8-1

I love Roderick Williams's voice and there is some other great stuff, including the Mathias I mentioned earlier, as well as 'In Terra Pax'.

Seems a very good disc to me.

[Mr Pee]

Would anyone advise against me getting this?

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Terra-Pax-Christmas-Anthology-Leighton/dp/B002QEXBYA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1323986703&sr=8-1

I love Roderick Williams's voice and there is some other great stuff, including the Mathias I mentioned earlier, as well as 'In Terra Pax'.

I've actually got that CD already- go ahead. It's first class.

[Mahlerei]

One of my favourite festive spinners is Praetorius's Lutheran Mass for Christmas Morning, played by Paul McCreesh and his Gabrieli Consort. It's a joyous programme, with a real sense of occasion, and superbly recorded to boot. John Eliot-Gardiner's L'enfance du Christ is rather special too. And for organ lovers, a disc of sparkling Christmas Preludes from Frank Strobl (Audite).

[moeranbiogman]

Vaughan Williams: Hodie

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

I shall investigate Praetorius and RVW, and the Naxos Finzi is just too tempting to resist!

I'd also add Schutz's Christmas Story.

[Anna]

The Praetorius Mass has got 4 votes (it was Mahlerei that introduced me to it) You can hear clips of it here

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Praetorius-Lutheran-Christmas-Gabrieli-McCreesh/dp/B0000057EH/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1324049307&sr=8-1

[PatrickOD]

I've never warmed to the Praetorius Mass. I have the CD of Paul McCreesh and the Gabrielli Consort which I would be pleased to give away to anyone who would like to have it, if that can be arranged.