Let nothing you dismay

Would that St. Nick arrive this year on a white horse, as he does in the Netherlands and Belgium, where “Sinterklaas” rides his steed around the countryside visiting schools and homes.  Early morning listeners will test their familiarity with songs about Santa at 6:40 a.m.

Welcome to a new week.  I look forward to listening to music with you early in the mornings on Classical 91.5.  Here are just a few highlights: 

Monday, December 17 

The late Dave Brubeck was quite serious when he sat down to pen sacred choral music for the season, creating a beautiful lament and commemoration of the birth of Jesus. We’ll hear a performance of Brubeck’s Ave Maria and Concordia Laetitia from the Pacific Mozart Ensemble and Quartet San Francisco. 

Tuesday, December 18

From the WXXI Holiday Songbook, The story of the Nativity is musically retold in Joaquín Rodrigo’s The Retablo de Navidad, eight short seasonal pieces that include simple songs with roots in folklore.

Wednesday, December 19

From the Holiday Songbook, the Whistle Down the Wind Suite, Stroope’s Hodie! And you’ll hear music steeped in older traditions, Alessandro Scarlatti’s startling, invigorating Messa per il Santissimo Natale, recorded in the Parco della Musica in Rome, a cavernous modern hall designed to replicate the acoustic of a cathedral space.

Thursday, December 20

Enjoy some of your favorite carols (Go tell it on the mountain) and unusual discoveries from the Holiday Songbook, including Latvian Solstice in the New World by Ugis Praulins, from a collection of new musical works to enrich the season’s array of colors.

Friday, December 21 

Luna Galassini hosts.