Four Centuries of Great Music December 24, 2023 Celebrating Christmas with Great Music

Today is Christmas Eve and to celebrate the day, today’s Four Centuries of Great Music will be Christmas Music from Archangelo Corelli of the Italian Baroque  and his Christmas Concerto written in the 1690s to modern America and Jake Heggie with a work from 1996.

Lets begin with Archangelo Corelli:  Concerto No. 8 in G Minor, Op. 6 _Fatto per la Notte di Natale  the Christmas Concerto.  It is in seven movements:
I. Vivace
II. Grave. Arcate, sostenuto e come stà
III. Allegro
IV. Adagio - Allegro - Adagio
V. Vivace
VI. Allegro
VII. Pastorale, Largo

Musica Amphion, Rémy Baudet, Sayuri Yamagata, Richte Van Der Meer, Hank Heyink & Pieter-Jan Belder
Corelli: Complete Works
Brilliant Classics

Next from the mid-1800s is Camille Saint-Saëns: Oratorio de Noel, Op. 12 which he wrote in a fortnight completing it 10 days before its premiere on Christmas Day 1858.  It is in 10 parts

1. Prelude - orchestra/organ
2. Recitative - And there were shepherds - Glory for chorus
3; Air - I waited expectantly for the Lord - for soprano
4. Air - Lord, I believed - for tenor and chorus
5. Blessed is he who comes  - duet for soprano and bass
6. Why did the nations roar?  Chorus
7. The beginning with you - Trio soprano, tenor and bass
8. Alleluja ( Quartet for Soprano 1, Soprano 2, Alto, Bass)
9. Arise, daughter of Zion for quintet and chorus
10. Take away the victims

Anders Eby, Mikaeli Chamber Choir, Anne Sofie von Otter, Ingmari Landin, Karin Langebo, Britt-Marie Aruhn, Bengt Forsberg, Royal Opera Theater Orchestra, Ulf Lundmark & Erland Hagegård

Saint-Saens: Christmas Oratorio - Respighi: Lauda per la nativita
Proprius Records

Let’s close out this first hour of music celebrating Christmas Eve with
Hector Berlioz: l'Adieu Des Bergers (Shepherds' Farewell) from his oratorio L’Enfance Du Christ, Op. 25:
André Cluytens & Orchestre de la Société des concerts du Conservatoire
100 Best Classics
Parlophone Records


We open this second hour of Four Centuries of Great Music with music celebrating that today is Christmas Eve with Francis Poulenc: Four Motets for Christmas.  The motets are:
Oh Great Mystery
Whom have you seen the shepherds?
Seeing a star
Today Christ is born

Robert Shaw & Robert Shaw Festival Singers
Poulenc: Mass in G, Prayers of St. Francis, Motets for Christmas & Lent
Telarc Records



Next is Ottorino Respighi: Lauda per la nativita del Signore, P. 166

Bengt Forsberg, Anders Eby, Mikaeli Chamber Choir, Torkel Borelius, Ingrid Lindgren, Jens-Christoph Lemke, Patrick Wendel, Solveig Fageus, Carl-Johan Nordin, Lars Hagström & Kerstin Hallin

Saint-Saens: Christmas Oratorio - Respighi: Lauda per la nativita

And now to the 1990s - specifically 1996 with Jake Heggie:  On the Road to Christmas for mezzo-soprano and string orchestra.  It was commissioned by the New Century Chamber Orchestra,   It was premiered on December 13, 1996 by Frederica von Stade and the New Century Chamber Orchestra at Herbst Theatre, San Francisco.  It is in 6 songs

1, The Night Is Freezing Fast
2, The Car Ride to Christmas
3, Good King Merrily on High
4, Wonder as I Wander
5, The Road to Bethlehem
6, Christmas Time of Year


Lisa Delan, soprano and the New Century Chamber Orchestra  conducted by Dawn Harms
December Celebration: New Carols by 7 American Composers
Pentatone Records


We will close today’s four centuries of great music with the Sinfonia and Hallelujah Chorus from Handel’s Messiah as performed by the Choir of New College Oxford and the Academy of Ancient Music from the album set 24 Hours of Classical Music











07 Nativity Carol
11 Shepherd's Pipe Carol
The Cambridge Singers, John Rutter & City of London Sinfonia
The John Rutter Christmas Album
Collegium Records

Jake Heggie:  On the Road to Christmas: No. 1, The Night Is Freezing Fast
Jake Heggie:  On the Road to Christmas: No. 2, The Car Ride to Christmas
Jake Heggie:  On the Road to Christmas: No. 3, Good King Merrily on High
Jake Heggie:  On the Road to Christmas: No. 4, Wonder as I Wander
Jake Heggie:  On the Road to Christmas: No. 5, The Road to Bethlehem
Jake Heggie:  On the Road to Christmas: No. 6, Christmas Time of Year


Lisa Delan, New Century Chamber Orchestra & Dawn Harms
December Celebration: New Carols by 7 American Composers
Pentatone Records





Benjamin Britten: Ceremony of Carols, Op.28_ Procession
02 Ceremony of Carols, Op.28_ Wolcom Yule!
03 Ceremony of Carols, Op.28_ There Is No Rose
04 Ceremony of Carols, Op.28_ That Yongë Child
05 Ceremony of Carols, Op.28_ Balulalow
06 Ceremony of Carols, Op.28_ As Dew In Aprille
07 Ceremony of Carols, Op.28_ This Little Babe
08 Ceremony of Carols, Op.28_ Interlude
09 Ceremony of Carols, Op.28_ In Freezing Winter Night10 Ceremony of Carols, Op.28_ Spring Carol
11 Ceremony of Carols, Op.28_ Deo Gracias

Choir of King's College, Cambridge, Stephen Cleobury & Rachel Masters
Britten: A Ceremony of Carols; Rejoice In the Lamb; a Boy Was Born
Argo Records


Arnold Schoenberg: Friede auf Erden
Choir of Clare College, Cambridge, Dmitri Ensemble & Graham Ross
Lux de caelo: Music for Christmas (Bonus Track Version)
Harmonia Mundi


Camille Saint-Saëns: Oratorio de Noel, Op. 12: Prelude (In the Style of J.S. Bach)
Camille Saint-Saëns: Oratorio de Noel, Op. 12: Recitative Et Pastores erant - Gloria (Chorus)
Camille Saint-Saëns: Oratorio de Noel, Op. 12:  Air Expectants expectavi Dominum (Soprano)
Camille Saint-Saëns: Oratorio de Noel, Op. 12:  Air Domine, ego credidi (Tenor, Chorus)
Camille Saint-Saëns: Oratorio de Noel, Op. 12:  Duet  Benedictus qui venit (Soprano, Bass)
Camille Saint-Saëns: Oratorio de Noel, Op. 12:  Quare fremuerunt gentes (Chorus)
Camille Saint-Saëns: Oratorio de Noel, Op. 12:  Trio  Tecum principium (Soprano, Tenor, Bass)
Camille Saint-Saëns: Oratorio de Noel, Op. 12:  Quartet  Alleluja (Soprano 1, Soprano 2, Alto, Bass)
Camille Saint-Saëns: Oratorio de Noel, Op. 12:  Quintet and Chorus   Consurge, Filia Sion (Soprano 1, Soprano 2, Alto, Bass, Chorus)
Camille Saint-Saëns: Oratorio de Noel, Op. 12:  Tollite hostias (Chorus)

Anders Eby, Mikaeli Chamber Choir, Anne Sofie von Otter, Ingmari Landin, Karin Langebo, Britt-Marie Aruhn, Bengt Forsberg, Royal Opera Theater Orchestra, Ulf Lundmark & Erland Hagegård

Saint-Saens: Christmas Oratorio - Respighi: Lauda per la nativita
Proprius Records

Ottorino Respighi: Lauda per la nativita del Signore, P. 166

Bengt Forsberg, Anders Eby, Mikaeli Chamber Choir, Torkel Borelius, Ingrid Lindgren, Jens-Christoph Lemke, Patrick Wendel, Solveig Fageus, Carl-Johan Nordin, Lars Hagström & Kerstin Hallin

Saint-Saens: Christmas Oratorio - Respighi: Lauda per la nativita






Corelli  14:12
Ralph Vaughan Williams 14:33
3:48
Poulenc. 10:55
Jake Heggie 15:28
2:38
3:47
Schoenberg 8:42
Britten 22:52
Saint Saens 35:04
Respighi 22:33