# Christmas Classics



## itywltmt

Related thread: http://www.talkclassical.com/16516-classical-christmas-music.html

En français

It has begun - in almost every radio market, there is an easy-listening station that has become "nothing but Christmas Music", 24/7.  You know what they say about _everything, but in moderation_...

A recent thread on our forum asked for some classical music selections that are appropriate for the season, but are not Christmas carols. As usual, TC-ers anwered with some very worthwhile selections - some of which are found here - but others are my own favourites.

I have more Holiday music posts in mind, but I reserve those for closer to the Holidays, and there will be more on that in due course.

A few words about some of these selections:

*Leroy Anderson*'s _Christmas Festival_ and *Benjamin Britten*'s _Men of Goodwill_ are as close as we will come to traditional carols. The works by *Corelli*, *Charpentier *and *Handel *are baroque favourites that are part of the seasonal repertoire.

The _Nutcracker Suite_ as performed by Stokowski for _Fantasia _doesn't provide all the selectoons - the _miniature overture and march_ are missing, which explains their addition to the playlist under a different conductor and orchestra. Rimsky's _Christmas Eve _is given a great vintage performance by Nikolai Golovanov.

*Leopold Mozart*'s _Toy SYmphony_ is one of the few _Papa Mozart _works that get performed, and it is full of cuteness and surprises... *Prokofiev*'s Troika from _Lieutenant Kije_ is another piece that gets airplay this time of year.

Please enjoy!:trp:

*PLAYLIST DETAILS*​
*Leroy ANDERSON (1908-1975)*
_A Christmas Festival_ (1952)
Leroy Anderson and his "Pops" Orchestra

*Pyotr Ilich TCHAIKOVSKY (1840-1893)*
_Shchelkunchik _(The Nutcraker), Suite for orchestra, op. 71a
Robert Sharples leads the London Festival Orchestra (Overture and March)
Leopold Stokowski leads the Philadelphia Orchestra (Dances)

*Arcangelo CORELLI (1653-1713)*
Concerto Grosso in G Minor, Op.6, No.8 ('Christmas Concerto')
Jean Francois Paillard leads his Chamber Orchestra

*Marc-Antoine CHARPENTIER (ca. 1636-1704)*
_Salve puerule_ from _In nativitatem Domini canticum_, Christmas motet for soprano, countertenor, tenor, bass, 2 flutes, 2 violins and continuo, H.314
Taverner Consort and Players under Andrew Parrot

*Leopold MOZART (1719-1787)*
Cassation for toys, 2 oboes, 2 horns & strings in G Major (Toy Symphony) (ca. 1959)
Uncredited orchestra and conductor

*Victor HERBERT (1859-1924)*
_March of the Toys_ from _Babes in Toyland_ (1903)
St-Louis Symphony Orchestra under Leonard Slatkin

*Sergey PROKOFIEV (1891-1953)*
Troika from Lieutenant Kijé, Op.60
Uncredited orchestra and conductor

*Benjamin BRITTEN (1913-1976)*
Men of Goodwill, variations on a carol (1947)
Minnesota Orchestra under Sir Neville Marriner

*Nikolay RIMSKY-KORSAKOV (1844-1908)*
Overture to _Noch' pered Rozhdestvom_ (Christmas Eve) (1895)
Moscow Radio Symphony Orchestra under Nikolai Golovanov

*George Frideric HANDEL (1685-1759)*
Selections from _Messiah_, HWV56
Sir Adrian Boult leads the London Philharmonic Orchestra (Pastoral Symphony)
Sir Thomas Beecham leads the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Chorus and soloists (Three excerpts)
Mormon Tabernacle Choir with uncredited accompaniment (Alleluia)

Your Playlist: http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL360FB6A25AE3684E

*December 16, 2011, "I Think You Will Love This Music Too" will be adding a new montage "Ice and Snow" to its Pod-O-Matic Podcast. Read our English and French commentary December 16th on the ITYWLTMT Blogspot blog.*


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