Classical Music Playlist, December 19, 2025
Detail of the Portinari Altarpiece (c.1475) by Hugo van der Goes
Composed originally for Easter and premiered in April 1741, Handel's Messiah has since become a mainstay of Christmas celebrations as well. A Wikipedia article summarizes the oratorio: "Handel's Messiah has been described by the early-music scholar Richard Luckett as 'a commentary on [Jesus Christ's] Nativity, Passion, Resurrection and Ascension', beginning with God's promises as spoken by the prophets and ending with Christ's glorification in heaven."
Composed of text from the bible, Messiah is in three parts. Wikipedia:
In Part I, the Messiah's coming and the virgin birth are predicted by the Old Testament prophets. The annunciation to the shepherds of the birth of the Christ is represented in the words of Luke's gospel.
Part II covers Christ's passion and his death, his resurrection and ascension, the first spreading of the gospel through the world, and a definitive statement of God's glory summarized in the Hallelujah Chorus.
Part III begins with the promise of redemption, followed by a prediction of the day of judgment and the "general resurrection," ending with the final victory over sin and death and the acclamation of Christ.
Part I of Handel's Messiah, plus the Hallelujah Chorus that ends Part II, is today's Midday Masterpiece.
6:00 a.m.
George Friederich Handel
Water Music Suite No. 3 in G major HWV 350
Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra; Nicholas McGegan, conductor
6:10 a.m.
Antonin Dvorak
Piano Quintet No. 2 in A major Opus 81
Takacs Quartet Marc-Andre Hamelin, piano
6:52 a.m.
TRADITIONAL
Carol of the Bells/God Rest Ye Merry/L'Homme Arme
Del Sol String Quartet; Nicholas Collon, conductor Carolyn Surrick, viola da gamba; Ronn McFarlane, lute
6:57 a.m.
Joe Hisaishi
Merry-Go-Round of Life (from Howl's Moving Castle)
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra; Joe Hisaishi, conductor Yuja Wang, piano
7:01 a.m.
Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov
Scheherazade: Festival at Baghdad Opus 35
Chicago Symphony Orchestra; Fritz Reiner, conductor
7:13 a.m.
Joaquin Rodrigo
Concierto Andaluz for 4 guitars
Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields; Neville Marriner, conductor Los Romeros
7:39 a.m.
Ola Gjeilo
Home
12 Ensemble; Rupert Gough, conductor Ola Gjeilo, piano
7:41 a.m.
Ola Gjeilo
Ecce Novum
The Choir of Royal Holloway; 12 Ensemble; Rupert Gough, conductor Ola Gjeilo, piano
7:47 a.m.
Gustav Holst
Suite No. 2 in F major Opus 28
North Texas Wind Symphony; Eugene Corporon, conductor
7:59 a.m.
Franz Liszt
Les Preludes (Symphonic Poem #3) S 97
Chicago Symphony Orchestra; Georg Solti, conductor
8:15 a.m.
Ludwig Van Beethoven
Symphony No. 8 in F major Opus 93
Orchestre Revolutionnaire et Romantique; John Eliot Gardiner, conductor
8:41 a.m.
Tomas Luis de Victoria
O Magnum Mysterium
; John Rutter, conductor Cambridge Singers
8:45 a.m.
TRADITIONAL
Joy to the World
Voces8; Barnaby Smith, conductor Voces8 Foundation Orchestra; Voces8 Foundation Choir
8:50 a.m.
Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Nutcracker: Waltz of the Snowflakes Opus 71
London Symphony Orchestra; Charles Mackerras, conductor Tiffins Boy's Choir
8:58 a.m.
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Symphony No. 41 "Jupiter" in C major K 551
Scottish Chamber Orchestra; Charles Mackerras, conductor
9:38 a.m.
Kevin Puts
Home
Conspirare; Craig Hella Johnson, conductor Mir� Quartet
9:46 a.m.
George Friederich Handel
XERXES: Largo: "Ombra mai fu"
Orpheus Chamber Orchestra
9:49 a.m.
George Friederich Handel
Water Music Suite No. 1: Alla Hornpipe in F major Water Music Suite in F
Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra; Nicholas McGegan, conductor
9:54 a.m.
Ralph Vaughan Williams
Wassail Song
Solid Brass
9:57 a.m.
TRADITIONAL
Good King Wenceslas
Canadian Brass Eric Robertson, organ
10:00 a.m.
Frederic Chopin
Concert Rondo "Krakowiak" in F major Opus 14
Warsaw Philharmonic; Kazimierz Kord, conductor Garrick Ohlsson, piano
10:15 a.m.
Astor Piazzolla
Five Pieces for Guitar: 2. Romantico
Franz Halasz, guitar
10:19 a.m.
Heitor Villa-Lobos
Bachianas Brasileiras No. 5: Aria
Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields; Kenneth Silito, conductor Alexandre Lagoya, guitar
10:25 a.m.
Erich Korngold
Violin Concerto in D major Opus 35
London Symphony Orchestra; Andre Previn, conductor Gil Shaham, violin
10:51 a.m.
Gaetano Donizetti
LINDA DI CHAMOUNIX Overture
Philharmonia Orchestra; Tullio Serafin, conductor
11:00 a.m.
Joe Hisaishi
Merry-Go-Round of Life (from Howl's Moving Castle)
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra; Joe Hisaishi, conductor Yuja Wang, piano
11:12 a.m.
Fanny Mendelssohn
Song Without Words Opus 8/1
Sarah Cahill, piano
11:17 a.m.
Amy Beach
Scottish Legend Opus 54/1
Alan Feinberg, piano
11:22 a.m.
Antonin Dvorak
American Suite in A major Opus 98
Budapest Festival Orchestra; Ivan Fischer, conductor
11:43 a.m.
Scott Joplin
Solace
John Novacek, piano
11:50 a.m.
Jean Sibelius
Karelia Overture Opus 10
Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra; Neeme Jarvi, conductor
12:00 p.m.
Jennifer Reason
Local Artist Feature: Nancy Bachmann, composer
Jennifer Reason, host
12:17 p.m.
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Piano Concerto No. 20 in D minor K 466
Scottish Chamber Orchestra; Charles Mackerras, conductor John O'Conor, piano
12:49 p.m.
George Friederich Handel
Solomon: Arrival of the Queen of Sheba
The English Concert; Trevor Pinnock, conductor
12:53 p.m.
Leonard Bernstein
CANDIDE: Overture
New York Philharmonic; Leonard Bernstein, conductor
12:59 p.m.
Bedrich Smetana
Ma Vlast: II. The Moldau (Vltava)
Prague Philharmonic Orchestra; Libor Pesek, conductor
1:12 p.m.
Felix Mendelssohn
Piano Trio No. 1 in D minor Opus 49
Claremont Trio
1:41 p.m.
Michael Praetorius
Lo how a Rose e'er blooming (Es ist ein Ros)
Rachel Van Voorhees, harp
1:44 p.m.
Vince Guaraldi
Christmas Time is Here
Los Romeros; Concerto Malaga
1:48 p.m.
Amilcare Ponchielli
LA GIOCONDA: Dance of the Hours
Philadelphia Orchestra; Eugene Ormandy, conductor
2:00 p.m.
George Friederich Handel
Messiah: Part I HWV 56
The English Concert and Choir; Trevor Pinnock, conductor Arleen Auger, soprano; Anne Sofie von Otter, alto; Michael Chance, countertenor; Howard Crook, tenor; John Tomlinson, bass
2:58 p.m.
George Friederich Handel
Messiah: Hallelujah Chorus HWV 56
The English Concert and Choir; Trevor Pinnock, conductor
3:04 p.m.
Anton Bruckner
Symphony No. 4 "Romantic": I. Bewegt, Nicht Zu Schell in Eb major
Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra; Karl Bohm, conductor
3:25 p.m.
Isaac Albeniz
Espana: No. 2 Tango Opus 165/2
Jason Vieaux, guitar
3:28 p.m.
Aaron Jay Kernis
100 Greatest Dance Hits: II. Salsa Pasada
Escher Quartet Jason Vieaux, guitar
3:33 p.m.
Felix Mendelssohn
Piano Concerto No. 1 in G minor Opus 25
London Mozart Players; Jonathan Bloxham, conductor Isata Kanneh-Mason, piano
3:54 p.m.
TRADITIONAL
Coventry Carol
Canadian Brass Eric Robertson, organ
3:57 p.m.
TRADITIONAL
The First Nowell
Canadian Brass Eric Robertson, organ
4:01 p.m.
Jennifer Reason
Local Artist Feature: Nancy Bachmann, composer
Jennifer Reason, host
4:18 p.m.
Franz Schubert
Symphony No. 8 "Unfinished" in B minor D 759
Scottish Chamber Orchestra; Charles Mackerras, conductor
4:44 p.m.
Bedrich Smetana
BARTERED BRIDE: Dance of the Comedians
Janacek Philharmonic; Theodore Kuchar, conductor
4:51 p.m.
Giuseppe Verdi
NABUCCO Overture (Sinfonia)
Philharmonic of La Scala; Riccardo Muti, conductor
4:59 p.m.
Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges
Symphony in G Major in G major
Tafelmusik; Jeanne Lamon, conductor
5:15 p.m.
Georg Philipp Telemann
Tafelmusik I: Concerto for flute, violin & strings in A major
Musica Antiqua Koln; Reinhardt Goebel, conductor
5:40 p.m.
Teresa Carreno
Un reve en mer A dream at sea
Sarah Cahill, piano
5:46 p.m.
Frederic Chopin
Prelude No. 15 "Raindrop" in Db major Opus 28
Vladimir Ashkenazy, piano
5:52 p.m.
Carl Maria Von Weber
Clarinet Concerto No. 1: III. Rondo in F minor Opus 73
Staatskapelle Dresden; Herbert Blomstedt, conductor Sabine Meyer, clarinet
6:00 p.m.
Holiday Programming
Eternal Echoes for Hanukkah PART 1
James Jacobs, host
6:28 p.m.
Holiday Programming
Eternal Echoes for Hanukkah PART 2
James Jacobs, host
