Music is a quintessential part of the holidays. Almost everywhere you go, you鈥檒l hear Mariah Carey come out of hiding to sing about what she wants for Christmas, Charlie Brown and his friends going skating, and Bobby Helms rocking the night away. While these popular tunes engulf us in merriment all December long, let鈥檚 not forget about the Classical tradition! The Western classical music canon features an abundance of pieces that will undoubtedly stir the warm and joyful feelings of the holidays. Let鈥檚 take a look into some of the timeless selections you may stumble upon during this holiday season.
鈥淭he Nutcracker Suite Op. 71a鈥� - Tchaikovsky
This suite is a selection of eight excerpts from Tchaikovsky鈥檚 eponymous ballet 鈥淭he Nutcracker鈥�. This ~25 minute reduction of the full-length ballet features some of its most memorable musical highlights, such as the enamoring Waltz of the Flowers, the ethereal Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy, and the thrilling Trepak. What makes this music so special is Tchaikovsky鈥檚 ability to use sound as a means to capture all of the sparkling magic of the Nutcracker story, which brings it all to life.
Listen to the Waltz of the Flowers played by the Vancouver Symphony, led by Bramwell Tovey:
鈥淟ieutenant Kije - Troika鈥� - Prokofiev
Lieutenant Kije was Prokofiev鈥檚 first attempt at film music, written as a commission to accompany the 1934 Soviet comedy film of the same name. While Prokofiev was known at the time for his unconventional use of dissonance, this commission presented an opportunity for him to write more accessible music in popular styles. After the film was released, Prokofiev condensed the music into a five-movement suite. The Troika, which refers to a traditional three-horse Russian sled, features a quickly paced folk-song melody that will take you on a swirling, ambient sleigh ride through the snow.
Listen to the London Symphony Orchestra led by Yuri Ahnronovitch:
鈥淐ranham鈥� - Holst
贬辞濒蝉迟鈥檚 Cranham, named after a village in Gloucestershire, is a musical setting of a poem called 鈥�In The Bleak Midwinter鈥� by 19th century English poet Christina Rosetti. Originally published as 鈥�A Christmas Poem鈥�, musical settings of this poem have rendered it a Christmas carol, and 贬辞濒蝉迟鈥檚 beautiful arrangement is no different. Cranham remains one of the most famous settings of 鈥�In The Bleak Midwinter鈥� carol.
Listen to the Choir of King's College, Cambridge:
鈥淔antasia on Greensleeves鈥� - Vaughan-Williams
Greensleeves is a traditional English folk song whose melody you may recognize as the Christmas carol 鈥淲hat Child is This鈥�. This piece by Vaughan-Williams originally appeared in his opera 鈥�Sir John in Love鈥�, where he uses the Greensleeves melody and another folk song called Lovely Joan. Composer Ralph Greaves lifted these excerpts from 鈥�Sir John in Love鈥� to arrange the Fantasia on Greensleeves.This flowing piece weaves these two folk tunes together to create a free-form pastoral, delicately scored for strings, harp, and two optional flutes.
Take a listen to this lovely arrangement featuring a viola and cello duet, performed by Herbert Downes and Jacqueline Du Pre.
鈥淭he Messiah - 贬补濒濒别濒耻箩补丑鈥� - Handel
Hallelujah! Hallelujah! A resounding chorus undoubtedly proclaimed each holiday season, Handel鈥檚 Messiah remains one of the most popular and well-known pieces of the Western Classical tradition. The Messiah is an oratorio, which is a large-scale concert piece for orchestra and choir often deriving its text from biblical sources. This genre rose to popularity in the late Baroque period as the Italian opera declined, and at the Messiah鈥檚 premiere in Dublin in 1742, audiences were stunned at Handel鈥檚 ability to display emotion and spectacle without operatic staging.
Take a listen to the triumphant finale of Handel鈥檚 landmark work, performed in Montreal鈥檚 very own Notre Dame Cathedral, lead by Kent Nagano.
Do you have any favourite Classical pieces for the holidays? Let us know! Email us at publicity.music [at] mcgill.ca.
