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
BOSTON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
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Hahn returns to Symphony Hall as the soloist in Brahms’s Violin Concerto, and Andris Nelsons conducts Mozart’s Symphony No. 33 and Anna Thorvaldsdottir’s "Archora," inspired by the primordial energy of her Icelandic homeland.
WCRB IN CONCERT
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On WCRB In Concert with Blue Heron, the renowned vocal ensemble continues its multi-year exploration of music by rarely heard 15th-century master Johannes Ockeghem.
THE BACH HOUR
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On The Bach Hour, the composer's "Weinen, Klagen, Sorgen, Zagen" charts a course from dark sorrow to resolute peace in a performance by Collegium Vocale of Ghent and their director, Philippe Herreweghe. -
On The Bach Hour, Alina Ibragimova is the soloist in Bach's Violin Concerto in D minor, and Christophe Coin leads the Cantata No. 85, "I Am the Good Shepherd."
BLOG
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As the eclipse approaches, many colleagues from all over the country have been wondering what music might be appropriate for this rare natural occurrence, a time when the sun’s glories are blocked from view. -
The BSO's next season at Symphony Hall is anchored by Composer Chair Carlos Simon, major undertakings in works by Mahler, Beethoven, and Shostakovich with Music Director Andris Nelsons, and much, much more. -
April Fool’s Day comes with merry pranks, jokes, and light-hearted fun, and you can hear that fun in 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