As I write
this post my advent candle is burning down the number 5 and I’m eating a warm
mince pie. I’ve just come in from slipping and sliding in the snow having been
to a performance of Britten’s Ceremony of Carols in Norwich Castle so I’m definitely
full of that festive feeling.
As an absolutely unashamed and
indeed self-professed Christmas-lover I am as you would expect, thoroughly
excited that December is finally upon us! I don’t think there’s anything about
Christmas that I don’t like beyond the tacky cheesy stuff (because yes, of course,
I am a Christmas snob). The food, the present buying, the decorations, the
lights, the nip on your nose, the cosy candlelit evenings in front
of the fire when you come in from the cold, and the endless board games and puzzles, it’s all marvellous. But
there’s one thing in particular that I pretty much count down to each year from
the end of one Christmas to the next, and that’s the music!
I’m almost certain that my
family and I are the only ones with such a ‘taste’ for all things Christmassy, but regardless I’d
love to share some Christmas music with you as it’s the only time of the year that I might get away with it!
The one
which kicks off my December and is then almost continually on repeat through to
the 12th night every year is Vaughan Williams’ Fantasia on Christmas
Carols. I can’t even imagine how many times I’ve listened to this piece, and
yet every time the opening passage still manages to give me goose bumps. A
potentially sweet or maybe a little strange story about this one – my Mum was
in a performance of it when she was pregnant with me, and I finally got to
perform it myself last Christmas. I can’t help but feel that this probably
explains my absolute adoration for the piece, and also perhaps why I seemed to
know the alto part so well last year even though I’d never sung it before! (Or
maybe it’s just another strange Laura thing)...
I suppose
for me, the beauty in most Christmas music is really in the performance of it.
For this reason, I apologise in particular for the version I’m posting of this
carol, but it’s one of my absolute favourites and I can hardly hate a Cor Anglais
introduction (fondly known as Daddy oboe and another of my instruments but
sadly one for which there is very little demand)!
So to the
Christmas jazz of which our collection seems to grow with abundance every
year. I always feel as though I have been transported to a vintage Christmas - one where I’m
pretty convinced Bing Crosby would be sitting in my living room - whenever we're playing some Christmas jazz. I admit we have way too many Christmas jazz CDs and there’s far
too much to choose from, so one is a favourite (and the version from the film
Elf, who can complain about a bit of Zooey Deschanel?) and the other actually
scares me slightly but has to be listened to regardless because it’s still
quite entertaining
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zi_0D0Jqlfc
(apologies, really didn’t have many to choose from)
Very aware
that this could end up being a horribly rambly, musical-overloady post, so just
twooo more that my Christmas wouldn’t be complete without! Got very over-excited (and yes probably a little embarrassing) in Waitrose last
year when shopping for roasty things while this one was playing
Barry Rose – Carol
Symphony (1991 Digital Remaster): Allegro energico – (the rest of the
symphony follows if you’re at all convinced)
And finally,
the music I heard tonight in Norwich Castle, exactly 50 years after its
premiere performance in the very same venue, the Ceremony of Carols
Sir David Willcocks
– A Ceremony of Carols Op. 28: 1. Procession (definitely not complete
without the following movements but I didn’t fancy link bombardment!)
A very merry
December!
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