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A Light for Bleak Midwinter

Good morning!

This weekend, I was on a video call with my family, who asked, "What time does the sun set today?"

"Probably 4:30," I said, and then checked my weather app, only to discover that the sun would actually set at 4:12pm. This is the part of winter I like the least — each day a little darker than the one that came before. It's no wonder, then, that so many of our winter holidays are celebrations of light. It's even less of a wonder that those celebrations, lit by flickering candles or brightly-colored bulbs, are also times of gathering and community, and most importantly for this newsletter, of song.

So many of my glowing holiday memories center around music: caroling parties, with friends and family crowded around a piano; outings to the Holiday Pops, or to A Christmas Celtic Sojourn; evenings curled up at home with a good book and a mug of something warm, a Nat King Cole CD playing in the other room. In these dark and cold midwinter days, music keeps us warm — or, at risk of sounding corny as all get-out, at least it warms our hearts.

With that in mind, it's high time to turn on some holiday tunes! You can find all of our holiday music programming here, including our three 24/7 holiday music streams: Heavenly Holiday Classics, Perfect Holiday Party Soundtrack, and Ultimate Holiday Classical Mix. A neat trick: you can play the holiday streams on your smart speaker, too! Here's how.

What else is happening at CRB? Read on!

EVENTS

Get into the holiday spirit by joining GBH Music for a festive evening, live from the GBH Studios in Brighton on December 15!

BOSTON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

  • Venezuelan conductor Domingo Hindoyan makes his BSO debut leading the American premiere of Roberto Sierra's Symphony No. 6, and Spanish cellist Pablo Ferrández makes his BSO debut in Edward Elgar’s regal and impassioned Cello Concerto.

WCRB IN CONCERT

THE BACH HOUR

  • The Academy for Ancient Music Berlin illuminates a magical fusion of works by two iconic composers, and John Eliot Gardiner conducts the "Actus Tragicus" on The Bach Hour.
  • The conductor and organist brings Bach's fascination with Italian music to life in works inspired by Vivaldi and Pergolesi on The Bach Hour.

BLOG

  • A couple of classics, some Allston rock, and Saharan tribal rhythms spring forth in this month's Instant Replay.
  • We’re so happy to see the longer, warmer days of spring, but the insects and bugs? Not so much, unless they’re in music!
  • Soft breezes to gusty winds have sparked the creative imaginations of writers of everything from children’s books to classical music!

ONE LAST THING
The Note is always free, but this week, it's even freer — we're sharing it online so you can share it with your friends! If you've read this far, first of all, thank you; second of all, share this link on social media so your friends know they can subscribe here.

Have a great week! I'll talk to you soon.
Kendall Todd