GMG's Festive Choice

[madaboutmahler]

Which piece by which composer gets you in the festive mood?

For me, it would have to be the Nutcracker, such a wonderful, festive piece! I shall go and listen to it now....

[Willoughby earl of Itacarius]

Really all kinds of Christmas music will do it for me.

[Lisztianwagner]

Nice question as we are in the height of Christmas time

Hmm, for me it would have to be Liszt's Weihnachtsbaum, Wagner's Siegfried Idyll, Bach's Weihnachtsoratorium and Tchaikovsky's The Nutcracker.

[Lethevich]

The finale of Vaughan Williams' 8th symphony - those bells-ringing effects and jubilant rises from the orchestra scream Christmas for me - and as a result the whole work follows that. I've gotten a few smiles from friends who recognise it when play it on multiple occasions over the Christmas season

For some absolutely unfathomable reason, Monteverdi's 1610 Vespers I also play a lot around Christmas - despite its entirely different liturgical use. I suppose I just like the music more than the other couple of Christmas standard choral monoliths.

Suggesting music totally unrelated to Christmas in a Christmas music thread... Hipster warning signal #52.

Edit: oh, Pärt's Cantate Domino is charming too:

http://www.youtube.com/v/kvawnSGETY8

[madaboutmahler]

Thank you for all your replies!

The finale of Vaughan Williams' 8th symphony - those bells-ringing effects and jubilant rises from the orchestra scream Christmas for me - and as a result the whole work follows that. I've gotten a few smiles from friends who recognise it when play it on multiple occasions over the Christmas season

Coming to think about it, I know exactly what you mean! It's been ages since I last listened to that symphony, but have just started a Vaughan Williams symphony phase so I shall be sure to listen to it again soon!

Not many replies - maybe some GMGers are not festive enough this year? 

[madaboutmahler]

And how could I forget?! The troika from Prokofiev's Lieutenant Kijé! 

[J.Z. Herrenberg]

Delius, Sleigh Ride.


Brünnhilde, singing 'HojotoHoho!' in Die Walküre... Just joking.

[Sergeant Rock]

Brünnhilde, singing 'HojotoHoho!' in Die Walküre

That's my first choice for a bit of Christmas cheer. Unfortunately, Mrs. Rock feels otherwise 

I'm a humbug. I hate Christmas. Yes I do. But I make some concessions. On the afternoon of Christmas Eve, when Mrs. Rock begins decorating and wrapping, we traditionally listen to Bach's Weinachtsoratorium (she prefers HIP Gardiner; I'm partial to Old School Jochum...so we alternate years). We also listen to traditional carols: Emmylou's bluegrass/country take, and Battle/Slatkin's gloriously over-the-top, almost Mahlerian performances of the standards:

The finale of Vaughan Williams' 8th symphony

I love Sara's tradition; wish I'd thought of that! VW8 is my favorite of the nine. At my age it's probably too late to associate it with Christmas though. A pity.

Sarge

[Lisztianwagner]

And how could I forget?! The troika from Prokofiev's Lieutenant Kijé! 

Haha, that's right

[eyeresist]

Really all kinds of Christmas music will do it for me.

Strange - it has the opposite effect on me. Nothing like walking into the shopping centre, seeing tinsel everywhere, and hearing some crooner singing "Jingle bell rock" to make me feel really pessimistic about humanity.

Yes, Jingle Bell Rock counts as a carol 

The finale of Vaughan Williams' 8th symphony - those bells-ringing effects and jubilant rises from the orchestra scream Christmas for me - and as a result the whole work follows that. I've gotten a few smiles from friends who recognise it when play it on multiple occasions over the Christmas season

I love this too. I also think the bim bam movement from Mahler's 3rd is ideal Christmas music, and I'm surprised it doesn't regularly get recorded for A Very Terfel Christmas and other seasonal crossover releases.


To answer the OP - Rimsky Korsakov's Capriccio Espagnol.

[kishnevi]

I spend Christmas Eve and Christmas Day playing one or another recording of Bach (both Christmas cantatas and the Christmas Oratorio), Messiah, Palestrina masses connected to Christmas, and the Nutcracker.  This year a Tallis recording--Puer Natus Est, from Stile Antico--will be added to the mix.  It's the Nutcracker which feels most Christmas-y to me.

However, I work for a department store, and have been subjected at work to a variety of modern carols, so I have developed a deep distaste for most carols.  The only one I really like the Carol of the Bells.  The worst attempt at a carol I have heard is John Wayne (at least, it sounds like it was him) vocalizing Winter Wonderland--it sounds perfecting horrible, and can not be described as singing except in a Dada sort of way.

For generalized festivity, my preference is probably Bach's Magnificat.

[eyeresist]

However, I work for a department store, and have been subjected at work to a variety of modern carols, so I have developed a deep distaste for most carols.  The only one I really like the Carol of the Bells.  The worst attempt at a carol I have heard is John Wayne (at least, it sounds like it was him) vocalizing Winter Wonderland--it sounds perfecting horrible, and can not be described as singing except in a Dada sort of way.

So in response to this I, of course, go to Amazon and search "Shatner Christmas". Sadly, the only thing I can find is Good King Wenceslas. I'm not sure if the sample is screwed up or supposed to sound like that.

I also found this oddity, a serious oratorio with Shatner doing the narration.

[ASIN]B0012K5A84[/ASIN]

[Brian]

The worst attempt at a carol I have heard is John Wayne (at least, it sounds like it was him) vocalizing Winter Wonderland--it sounds perfecting horrible, and can not be described as singing except in a Dada sort of way.

Click the free samples of this, if you dare.

I'm going to have to listen to Vaughan Williams' Eighth Symphony soon; I've never heard it! I'm also keen to try Lutoslawski's Twenty Polish Christmas Carols this season. Not really being a fan of the baroque, I might go easy on the Bach oratorios...

[TheGSMoeller]

Karolju by Christopher Rouse is an amazing piece, I first heard this piece in the 90s when my brother was at Eastman School of Music and they performed this. This is the only recording I believe.

[Lethevich]

I'm going to have to listen to Vaughan Williams' Eighth Symphony soon; I've never heard it!

Ahhajjajhssh *suppressing nerd rage* it's one of the coolest symphonies from one of the neatest symphonists of the period Srsly though, there's nothing like it :3

[eyeresist]

I'm going to have to listen to Vaughan Williams' Eighth Symphony soon; I've never heard it!

The Bryden Thomson recording is my benchmark.

[Mirror Image]

The Bryden Thomson recording is my benchmark.

The Thomson 8th is my benchmark as well. A very fine, passionate performance.

[val]

JS BACH, the beginning of the Christmas Oratorio,

or LULLY (Marche Turque, from Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme)

or BRAHMS, the 4th movement of the First piano Quartet

[KeithW]

Britten's Ceremony of Carols, RVW's Fantasia on Christmas Carols and lots of Bach.  Lutoslwaski always gets a spin for my Polish wife.  I posted the Stile Antico in the listening thread on Friday - it is very nice.  I also listened to Christmas with The Tallis Scholars yesterday.

[Karl Henning]

Thank you for all your replies!Coming to think about it, I know exactly what you mean! It's been ages since I last listened to that symphony, but have just started a Vaughan Williams symphony phase so I shall be sure to listen to it again soon!

Not many replies - maybe some GMGers are not festive enough this year? 

Some of us are still in Advent ; )