Records you play at Christmas

[Barbirollians]

This could of course include carols or music like the Christmas Oratorio which have a particular link but are there any records you find yourself playing either at this time of the year and not otherwise or more often at this time of the year ?

For me I find that Rostropovich's marvellous Tchaikovsky Ballet Suites record often makes an appearance as it is just now .

[Alison]

Happy Christmas Barbirollians!

I tend to stick with the new CDs I get for Christmas. Having an unexpectedly free morning I decided to download Messiah (lso live) and listened to Part 1.

Tonight I will play the first of my new CDs, Swan Lake (new Chandos release) having had the equivalent Sleeping Beauty on last Christmas Eve.

I have Brahms symphonies (Chailly), Beethoven symphonies (Haitink), a couple of piano discs (Piers Lane and Cherkassky) and the piano quintets of Taneyev and Arensky to look forward to over the next few days.

[Roehre]

As can be seen on the What are you listening to now thread between Advent 1 and 12th night I listen much -but not exclusively-to music which is related to this time of the year, music I generally don't listen to at other times.
The same applies to the days between Palmorum and Easter (essentially the Holy week, including Good Friday) as well as on Ascension day and the pentecost weekend.
For pentecost one of the few works which I listen to outside this weekend is Mahler 8.

[Petrushka]

Some pieces wholly unconnected with Christmas tend to make an appearance at this time of year. One of them is Schubert's Great C Major another is the Tchaikovsky Symphony No 1. Messiah is a given as is The Nutcracker.

[Beef Oven!]

30 years ago!!

[Tevot]

Hello...

I write this listening to Mariah Carey's All I want for Christmas ( oh shame !)

I listened yesterday to Hodie by Ralph Vaughan Williams (via you tube) - first time I've heard it ... (Isn't You Tube brilliant !!!!?) the ending sounds very much like the finale of his 8th Symphony...

What else? Earlier this evening - The Carol Symphony by Victor Hely Hutchinson... Beautiful.

Then. Carols from King's College Cambridge 2011 ( also You Tube)

and also Honegger : A Christmas Cantata...

I got sentimental tonight

[EdgeleyRob]

Hello...

I write this listening to Mariah Carey's All I want for Christmas ( oh shame !)

I listened yesterday to Hodie by Ralph Vaughan Williams (via you tube) - first time I've heard it ... (Isn't You Tube brilliant !!!!?) the ending sounds very much like the finale of his 8th Symphony...

What else? Earlier this evening - The Carol Symphony by Victor Hely Hutchinson... Beautiful.

Then. Carols from King's College Cambridge 2011 ( also You Tube)

and also Honegger : A Christmas Cantata...

I got sentimental tonight

Now yer talkin'

[Barbirollians]

Happy Christmas Alison and everyone upon the board !

Alos making its annual appearance is Christmas with Love by Geoff Love and his orchestra taking me straight back to 1973 .

Fry's santa Claus symphony also deserves an airing .

At present , however, continuing the Music for Pleasure theme Rudolf Firkusny in Beethoven's Third Piano Concerto a record that apparently sold by the stack load .

[cloughie]

30 years ago!!

Beefy
An interesting one - yes the original song by Bob Geldof and Midge Ure was released as a single in 1983 and reached 173 in the charts. - Never heard it - have you? The more familiar version with the multi singer cast was No1 Christmas 1984. So 29 years ago. The great Slade Christmas No 1 is now 40 years old, as is Wizzard's 'Wish it could be Christmas Everyday' - Good to see Roy Wood doing the rounds this Christmas - still looks as old as he did all those years ago - my essential Christmas listening includes James Galway's Christmas Carol, Hely Hutchinson Carol Sym, Harry Mortimer's Brass playing Christians Awake - and finally for now Mahler 3.

[EdgeleyRob]

This is nice.



Liszt's Christmas Tree Suite is a delight.

[teamsaint]

This is nice.



Liszt's Christmas Tree Suite is a delight.

Looks good. I'll order that next year !!

Edit: our one regular christmas staple is also a Naxos disc,

Carols from Worcester and Tewkwsbury.
I cannot recommend it highly enough.

And its on market place for a penny.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_0_16?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=gabriels+message&sprefix=gabriels+message%2Caps%2C178&rh=i%3Aaps%2Ck%3Agabriels+message

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

The separate cantatas of Bach's Christmas Oratorio (a different one each day) is the only thing that I make a point of playing at this time of year.

[silvestrione]

Messaien's Vingt Regards sur L'Enfant Jesus, and the Christmas items from Bach's Orgelbuchlein, preferably in Lionel Rogg's recording. Haven't managed the Christmas Oratorio this year.